Scores of supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, protesting against president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva taking power.
Footage shows protesters carrying banners and shouting slogans denouncing the election result such as “Federal Intervention” and “Armed Forces Save Brazil!”, while some of them could be seen crying and praying. Bolsonaro’s supporters have been protesting the election result blocking highways in over a hundred locations as of Wednesday morning, with police being deployed to disperse the demonstrations.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was declared the winner of the presidential run-off on Sunday, while Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat. In his address on Tuesday, he promised to abide by the Constitution, but also said “current popular movements are the fruit of indignation and a sense of injustice about the way the electoral process took place.”
Lula won by a thin margin in the run-off, receiving 50.9 percent of the vote compared to Bolsonaro’s 49.1 percent.
The next president is set to take office on January 1, 2023.
