Bolsonaro does not concede, but signals he will transfer power

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro did not directly acknowledge his loss to President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in his first public speech since this weekend’s election, but signaled that he will relinquish power, multiple outlets reported on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro remained silent for two days after Brazil’s electoral authority called the race for Lula on Sunday, triggering fears that he would not accept the loss. 

Finally breaking his silence on Tuesday, Bolsonaro signaled that he would step aside, without ever officially conceding the race.

“I was always labeled undemocratic,” he said, according to The New York Times. “Unlike my accusers, I played within the limits of the constitution.”

He also called on his supporters to halt their disruptions of the country’s roadways. Pro-Bolsonaro truckers had blockaded more than 300 roads as of Tuesday morning in protest of the president’s loss, The Washington Post reported.

Bolsonaro’s chief of staff noted after Tuesday’s speech that he had been authorized to “start the transition process,” according to the Times.