Bolsonaro silent after Brazil presidential vote loss
Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro (L) and his successor Michel Temer (R) react upon the results of the presidential and congressional elections in Brasilia, Brazil, October 29, 2018. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
BRASÍLIA – President-elect Jair Bolsonaro refused to answer reporters’ questions on the night of the Brazilian election, saying in a statement he would not make his thoughts public until after he took up office on January 1.
Brazilian media reported early on Sunday that Bolsonaro had called a press conference and vowed to keep his word.
But instead Bolsonaro gave his own version of events, telling reporters in a series of tweets he would not make any statements until he had taken office.
Bolsonaro also criticized his predecessor, Temer, for failing to provide details of how he would govern, even as he called Temer a “bad president.”
Bolsonaro’s first public comments on the election came late last week, when he told reporters he had consulted with former Brazilian military commander Oswaldo Cruz Chavez and his family before casting his ballot.
He had a mixed impression of the result, he said at the time, citing some of his relatives in the crowd, and expressed doubts that incumbent President Dilma Rousseff will return to Brazil after her impeachment sentence expired last month.
Hours later, he gave a more sweeping statement on Twitter, saying he would rule by decree after he took office to avoid any further protests and to set the political agenda.
“I’m a simple man,” said Bolsonaro, who took office on January 1 in a landslide victory against his leftist opponent, Jair Bolsonaro, who had been president for less than a year.
“When I start as president, there won’t be a