Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is expected to make a statement for the first time since he lost re-election two days ago, his office announced Tuesday.
In a short statement, the presidency said Bolsonaro would speak “momentarily,” after a lengthy silence that has prompted fears the far-right leader would contest the victory of rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The leftist Lula beat Bolsonaro by only 1.8 percentage points in a bitterly divisive runoff election Sunday, and the silence from the president has fueled protests nationwide.
Bolsonaro supporters set up hundreds of roadblocks around the country to protest the election result, and police fired tear gas Tuesday as they attempted to disperse the gatherings.
