Brazil’s Bolsonaro asks supporters to lift protest blockades after election loss [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Protests erupted in Brazil following President Jair Bolsonaro’s narrow loss to his leftist challenger in an Oct. 30 runoff presidential election.
• Hundreds of roads across the country remained blocked and several industrial groups warned possible supply shortages.
• Bolsonaro finally urged his supporters to lift the blockades and find other legitimate ways to protest.

Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have been blocking roads in protest to his narrow loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an Oct. 30 runoff presidential election. But after the blockades started restricting people’s movement and economic distribution, Bolsonaro finally asked his supporters to lift the blockades.

On Tuesday, the outgoing president said that the protests come from a feeling of “indignation and a sense of injustice” over the election. But he did not explicitly ask his supporters to remove the blockades yet.

It was only on Thursday when Bolsonaro shared a video message on Twitter finally appealing to his supporters to “clear the highways.”

Bolsonaro acknowledged his supporters’ dismay at the election results. He then said that while people have a right to demonstrate, there are other ways to do so, since blocking roads is an illegitimate form of protest.

The Federal Highway Police (PRF), who have been mobilized to help clear the roads and dispel protests, have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of demonstrations in multiple locations.

Brazilian authorities said their efforts to clear truck blockades have made headway. According to the PRF, partially or fully blocked highways have dropped from 190 locations to 126 as of Wednesday evening.

Still, the protests continue to disrupt the distribution of fuel and food to supermarkets and ports.

Several industrial groups issued warnings about a supply shortage.

National health agency Anvisa warned about potential shortages of medical supplies. Trade group Abear, which represents Brazilian airlines, also warned a possible shortage of jet fuel supplies. Oil regulator ANP made efforts to prevent possible energy shortages by relaxing cooking gas bottling requirements and revising rules on minimum fuel storage requirements on distribution sites.

According to police, 732 roadblocks have been cleared across the country. But 14 of the country’s states still have partially or fully blocked roads, particularly in states with the strongest Bolsonaro support, like Santa Catarina and Mato Grosso.

Truckers have benefited from Bolsonaro’s policies to lower fuel prices. They have been known to shut highways in protest in recent years.

Some of Bolsonaro’s supporters even called for military support to help keep their president in power.

Source: Reuters