Brazil's Bolsonaro lands in Florida, avoiding Lula handover
BRASILIA, Dec 31 ― Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro landed in Florida yesterday, after delivering a teary message to his supporters less than two days before his fierce leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to take office.
An official Brazilian plane landed in Orlando, Florida late yesterday, flight tracking website FlightAware showed. Although Bolsonaro's destination has not been officially confirmed, his security staff were already in place in Florida.
Bolsonaro's exit from Brazil came after he repeatedly said he would not hand over the presidential sash to Lula at Sunday's inauguration, breaking with Brazil's democratic tradition. He may also face legal risks from remaining in Brazil as his presidential immunity expires when Lula takes office.
His departure followed an emotional final address on social media earlier yesterday, in which he ran through the highlights of his time in office, sought to defend his legacy, and tried to inspire his followers into keeping up the fight against Lula.
Vice President Hamilton Mourao is now acting president after Bolsonaro left the country, his press office said. But Mourao will not pass the presidential sash to Lula, a spokesperson noted, raising doubts about who will do the ceremonial handover.
The presidential plane departed Brasilia shortly after 2pm local time.
“I am in flight, back soon,” Bolsonaro was quoted as saying by CNN Brasil earlier in the day. His press office did not respond to a request for comment.
The US State Department did not respond to a request for comment. The US embassy in Brasilia referred questions about Bolsonaro's trip to the Brazilian president's office.
Final words
Bolsonaro's exit follows weeks of silence, after he lost Brazil's most fraught election in a generation.
Some of Bolsonaro's supporters have refused to accept Lula's victory, believing his baseless claims that the October election was stolen. That has contributed to a tense atmosphere in the capital Brasilia, with riots and a foiled bomb plot last week.
In his social media address, Bolsonaro labeled the bomb plot a “terrorist act” for which there was no justification. He sought to distance himself from George Washington Sousa, the man who confessed to making the bomb, and who told police that Bolsonaro's call to arms inspired him to build an arsenal of guns and explosives.
“The man had ideas that are not shared by any citizen, but now they classify him as a 'Bolsonarista',” the president said.
Yet Bolsonaro also praised protesters who have been camping outside army barracks across the country, urging the military to stage a coup.
“I did not encourage anyone to enter confrontation,” he said, adding that his supporters had merely been seeking “freedom.” He said the protests had been “spontaneous,” with no leadership or coordination.
Bolsonaro's swift exit was a disappointment for many on the right, where his reputation has taken a beating for his post-election silence. Some of his diehard supporters at the entrance of the Alvorada Palace, the presidential residence where he lived, called him a “coward” during his speech, according to a Reuters witness.
Others felt abandoned by his departure.
“It feels as if my boyfriend has left me,” said Deise Casela, a 57-year-old widow, touching the Brazilian flag that was lowered after Bolsonaro left the residence. “I am mourning again.”
― Reuters
https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/12/officials-say-president-bolsonaro-may.html
Gabriela Sá Pessoa
Two days before leaving office, ending a tumultuous four years as the race-baiting, Amazon-developing, coronavirus-downplaying, vaccine-sceptical leader of Latin America's largest country, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro remained defiant in a teary farewell address on Friday (local time), defending his record and saying the election that led to his ouster was not impartial, but condemning violence against the result.
Then he flew to Florida, Brazilian media reported, where in the past he has met with former US president Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He apparently planned to skip the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday (local time), when the outgoing leader traditionally presents the presidential sash to his successor, a ceremony intended to reaffirm the country's young democracy.
Bolsonaro's remarks, live-streamed for nearly an hour, were his most extensive since he lost the election in October. He still has not conceded the race, but acknowledged that a new administration would take over on Sunday.
"Nothing is lost," he told supporters. "Brazil is a fantastic country, and Brazil doesn't end on January first."
Concern is growing over security around Lula's inauguration in Brasília on Sunday (local time). Bolsonaro supporters have camped outside army installations since his October 30 defeat to call for a military coup to keep him in power. A group of radical bolsonaristas set fire to buses and tried to invade federal police headquarters in the capital this month after the arrest of a Bolsonaro supporter who was accused of having "expressly summoned armed people to prevent the certification of elected" officials.
On Saturday (local time), police said they defused a bomb planted by a Bolsonaro supporter in a tanker truck full of gas near the international airport in Brasília. They said the suspect told investigators his plan was to provoke chaos to draw military intervention.
Bolsonaro asked supporters last month not to block highways, but said the gatherings outside army installations were legitimate protests. On Friday, he condemned violent demonstrations - and lamented that the Brazilian media had connected the bomb suspect to him.
"Nothing justifies this attempted terrorist act here in Brasília airport," Bolsonaro said. "[Have] Intelligence. Let's show we are different from the other side, that we respect the norms and the Constitution."
ERALDO PERES/AP
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has fled Brazil for Florida.
His actions might sound familiar to Americans. Trump, a Bolsonaro ally, blamed his 2020 re-election loss on unfounded claims of fraud, declined to concede, urged his supporters to protest the result and skipped the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Bolsonaro said it had been difficult to stay mostly silent for two months, but refrained from speaking because anything he said "could make things more tumultuous”.
"I didn't leave the four lines" of the Constitution, he said, comparing the document to a soccer pitch. "Either we live in a democracy or we don't. Nobody wants an adventure."
Bolsonaro sought to explain to his more radical supporters why he didn't embrace stronger efforts to stay in power. After he spent years casting doubt on the security of electronic voting machines, many of his supporters have claimed without evidence that the election was stolen.
THE WASHINGTON POST
Jair Bolsonaro getting ready to board a plane for Florida.
"Now, many times, even within the four lines, you need to have support," he said. But he found no support in the electoral court, the congress or the armed forces to reverse the election result. He asked his party to file a lawsuit alleging possible fraud in balloting, but the electoral court quickly rejected the claim.
He said he recognised the suffering of his supporters, but asked them to put themselves in his place. He said they had lost a battle, but not the war. As he spoke, comments expressing frustration began to appear on his Facebook page.
"Unfortunately we are adrift," one person wrote. "So there was no fraud??? Hope is over."
Bolsonaro said he would lead the opposition to Lula.
"The picture is not good, but that's not why we are going to throw in the towel and stop opposing," he said.
After the valedictory, Brazilian media reported, he boarded Força Aérea Brasileira - Brazil's Air Force One - on a flight to Orlando. The presidency did not confirm his departure to The Washington Post, but recent filings with the Federal Register have indicated preparations for such a trip.
Days after Bolsonaro's loss, allies met with Trump aides in the United States to discuss his next steps. His son Eduardo, a Brazilian congressman, met Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month in Palm Beach, Florida.
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