Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States on Friday, two days before the end of his term and the inauguration of his successor, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, according to several local media. Thus, it became clear that the right-wing Bolsonaro will not participate next Sunday in the inauguration ceremony of the new left-wing president, who was supposed to hand him the presidential sash according to protocol.
And after bidding farewell to his supporters on Friday, in his first statement on social media since his electoral defeat, Bolsonaro boarded an Air Force plane around 2pm local time (5pm GMT), according to the newspapers “O Globo” and “Estadao”, CNN Brasil and UOL News.
Those who work for President Bolsonaro – who still support him even after his term ends and are paid by taxpayers – have already won approval to travel to the United States throughout January.
“I’m on a flight, I’ll be back soon,” Bolsonaro told CNN Brasil.
In a speech before his departure, Bolsonaro said: “The world will not stop on January 1 (…) There is a great future ahead of us.” Referring to the day his successor assumed the presidency.
“We are losing the battles, but we are not losing the war”, added the outgoing president, narrowly defeated by Lula in the October elections.
And Bolsonaro has directly addressed his supporters who are still camped out in front of army barracks and in front of army headquarters in Brasilia and other cities to ask for military intervention to prevent Lula from taking office. “I never expected to get here,” he added, crying, “at least we postponed Brazil’s collapse from this harmful leftist ideology by 4 years.”
He also said “I gave it my all.”
Since Lula da Silva’s victory at the end of October, Bolsonaro has not been seen and lives almost isolated in Brasilia, far from the limelight.
