President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has urged truckers protesting Sunday’s election results to clear the highways and take their protests elsewhere.
Since it was reported that Mr. Bolsonaro’s leftist adversary Lula won the election, supporters of the far-right candidate have created hundreds of roadblocks across Brazil.
Mr. Bolsonaro stated that blocking highways was not a “legitimate” form of protest.
He pushed individuals to explore other methods of protest.
Numerous ardent Bolsonaro supporters have refused to accept the outcome of Sunday’s presidential run-off, which former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won narrowly with 50.9% of valid votes.
In response to the outcome, truck drivers erected roadblocks around the nation. So far, they have lasted three days and have significantly disrupted the transit of commodities, including food and petrol.
The federal highway police reported that more than 700 blockades had now been disassembled, even though the authorities have struggled to clear them completely.
In a video broadcast to his Twitter account on Wednesday, Mr. Bolsonaro addressed the blockades and stated, “I know you are unhappy… Me too. But we must maintain our composure.
“I want to appeal: clear the highways,” he added, adding that obstructing roadways “impedes our constitutional freedom to come and go.”
However, he encouraged protestors to find alternative methods of demonstrating and he welcomed the numerous rallies conducted in his support when people showed Brazilian flags and sang anti-Lula slogans.
Some have also urged for military action to maintain Mr. Bolsonaro’s position as president.
This is an important aspect of democracy, he remarked.
Although Mr. Bolsonaro has not yet formally admitted defeat, he did not question the election result in an address on Tuesday.
In the address, he also acknowledged the transfer of power, which the Supreme Court of Brazil claimed indicated he had accepted the outcome of the election.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s term as president will finish on 1 January, when Lula will be installed as his successor.
Lula, who served as president from 2003 to 2010, is currently 77 years old and will be the oldest individual to take the position.
