Jair Bolsonaro plays appeasement. The Brazilian president urged his supporters on Wednesday to “open the streets” “for the good.” [la] Nation,” while supporting the “legitimate demonstrations” that multiplied after his defeat in the second round of Sunday’s presidential election by a narrow margin to Lula.
“I appeal to you: unlock the streets. That doesn’t seem to me to be part of the legitimate demonstrations,” the head of state said in a video posted to Twitter. “Other demonstrations taking place in other places across Brazil are part of the democratic game, they are welcome,” he added. “Protest in different ways, in different places, that’s fine.”
Bolsonaro promises to ‘respect the constitution’
Thousands of Bolsonarists rallied outside military commandos on Wednesday to call for army intervention after their leader’s defeat at the hands of former President Lula (2003-2010). These protests came the day after Jair gave Bolsonaro permission to join Lula’s team without mentioning his defeat or congratulating his opponent.
He vowed to “respect the constitution” and when he demanded that the demonstrations should remain “peaceful” without undermining the “right to come and go”, he also justified them by saying that he met them with a sense of ” injustice” related to the electoral process. Earlier for two days, the president maintained tension over his response by remaining silent, an attitude his critics say has fueled protests and roadblocks in most states in Brazil.