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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro broke his silence on Friday for the first time since his election defeat on Oct. 30 and spoke to supporters calling for a military coup to stop leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva taking office.
Bolsonaro said he had been silent for nearly 40 days, adding, “It hurts my soul.”
“It’s you who decides where I go. It’s you who decides which way the armed forces go,” Bolsonaro told his supporters at the gate of the presidential residence.
In ambiguous comments, Bolsonaro did not back their call for military intervention but said the armed forces would respect Brazil’s constitution.
He did not acknowledge Lula’s victory in October’s election, and his silence encouraged supporters to continue demonstrating outside army bases.
Lula’s narrow victory over Bolsonaro will be certified by Brazil’s national electoral authorities on Monday.
Bolsonaro told his supporters that the armed forces were Brazil’s bulwark against socialism in the country, adding that “there is nothing to lose” and that their cause will one day prevail.
“The Armed Forces are united. They are loyal to our people, they respect the Constitution, and they are responsible for our freedom,” he said.
“Unlike everyone else, we’re going to win,” he said.
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