Mourao serves as president if Bolsonaro is absent, according to the AP, which said the outgoing president is likely to miss Sunday’s inauguration ceremony of election winner and leftist political opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, contrary to Brazilian tradition.
Bolsonaro did not confirm where he is going, but data on his plane’s movement indicate he is heading to Florida, where his security is already in place, Reuters reports. According to her, the outgoing head of state said he did not want to hand over the presidential sash to his political son at the inauguration on Sunday.
The outgoing president greeted fans before leaving, saying, “I’m flying, I’ll be back soon,” according to CNN Brasil.
The 67-year-old Bolsonaro refuses to accept the electoral defeat and says that the Brazilian electoral system is not credible. Some of his supporters believe it.
This added to a tense atmosphere in the capital, where riots broke out and Brazilian police moved across the country on Thursday to investigate an alleged coup attempt amid riots sparked by Bolsonaro supporters.
Some time ago the police also found an explosive device near the capital’s airport and, according to the police, the creator of the device claimed to be a supporter of the current president. Before his departure, according to agencies, Bolsonaro condemned the attempted attack as a “terrorist act”.
