Miguel Borba de Sa, an expert on Brazilian politics at the University of Coimbra, sees the two months in which Bolsonaro remains in power will be “extremely turbulent”. The researcher expects that it will be difficult to drive Lula da Silva from the first day of his arrival at the Planalto Palace.
Was Bolsonaro’s silence after the defeat expected?
In my view, this silence on the part of the President shows that some emergency meetings have taken place, with the aim of devising a strategy to contain the damage and present the political future of Bolsonaro and his movement. Because the truth is that Lula got only 2 million more votes than Bolsonaro, which is very few in such a large electoral college. Politically, it could be seen as a technical draw, or even a slight victory for the far-right in Brazil, especially if we look at the conservative and congressional elections. Of course, it’s a cold shower on Bolsonaro’s part, but there is definitely a political legacy coming from Bolsonaro that can be passed on, so I imagine it might be strategizing from a political point of view. On a more operational level, on Monday, there were some interruptions on the country’s most important roads. I’ve spoken to people who live in Rio de Janeiro and some were very worried about what would happen next.
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