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Bolsonaro OKs Peaceful Transition of Power in Brazil Without Conceding

In a brief statement, the far-right leader thanked his supporters, neither contesting the election result nor acknowledging defeat. He did not mention his rival’s name.

Following two days of tense silence after being narrowly voted out of power, Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro made a two-minute speech in which he stopped short of acknowledging his defeat, or even mentioning the name of President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After he finished speaking, though, his chief of staff said Bolsonaro had agreed to begin a peaceful transition of power. In his brief statement, Bolsonaro thanked his supporters, blasted Brazil’s leftist movement, and said he would continue to play within the limits of the country’s constitution. He also encouraged protesters not to engage in violence or block transportation, as hundreds of his supporters have done over the last 48 hours, snarling traffic and causing flights to be canceled. Police said they’ve cleared more than 300 roadblocks so far but more than 260 remain. The election, which finished on Sunday evening, was the closest in Brazil’s nearly four-decade democratic history, with Bolsonaro receiving around 58.2 million votes to Lula’s 60 million.