Bolsonaro breaks silence but does not acknowledge defeat

Brasília, Nov 02: Brazil's outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro has made his first address since being defeated in Sunday's presidential polls.

In a very short statement with no concession of defeat or congratulations to leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who triumphed, Bolsonaro said that he would "comply" with the constitution while thanking those who voted for him.

Supreme Court says Bolsonaro admitted defeat

Shortly after the release of the statement, Brazil's Supreme Court said that Bolsonaro had recognized the result of the election by authorizing the start of a transition to a government by Lula.

Official results showed Lula's margin of victory was narrow, at 50.9% to 49.1%. But with almost 120 million valid votes cast, that also equates to a winning margin of just over 2 million votes.

There had been speculation that Bolsonaro would contest the result after questioning the reliability of the country's electronic voting machines in recent months.

Bolsonaro welcomes 'peaceful' protests

Truck drivers supporting the far right politician, blocked roads in 20 states on Monday as Bolsonaro remained silent on losing the election.

"Peaceful protests will always be welcome," Bolsonaro said in his first comments since Sunday's election. "But our methods must not be those of the left, which always harm the population, like invading property... and impeding the right to come and go."

According to federal highway police, truckers staged more than 230 protests to partially or fully block roads in 20 states.

Source: DW