According to media reports, Brazilian President will not attend the transitional ceremony

According to media reports, the Brazilian President will not attend the transitional ceremony.

According to reports, Jair Bolsonaro has travelled to Florida after pledging not to give adversary Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the presidential sash.

According to reports, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has left the country for Florida rather than attend Sunday’s formal transfer of power to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his despised adversary and successor on the left.

According to news reports, the conservative congressman flew in from Brazil early on Saturday morning and arrived in Orlando, Florida. He left Brasilia soon after posting a sad goodbye message to his fans in which he criticised the violent protests that happened after the election results were announced and defended his work as president.

Bolsonaro has promised not to take part in the transfer of power when Lula is inaugurated on Sunday. Vice President Hamilton Mourao announced last month that he wouldn’t give the sash to Lula if Bolsonaro refused to do so. Mourao is acting president for his last full day in office.

The circumstances bring to mind US President Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington in January 2021. The customary duty of welcoming the next commander-in-chief to the White House was filled by Vice President Mike Pence because then-President Donald Trump refused to accept his electoral defeat and fled Washington before his replacement was sworn in.

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Bolsonaro was defeated by Lula in Brazil’s election on October 30 by a score of 50.9% to 49.1%. He tried to change the result of the election by saying that the voting machines could have been hacked. In November, the country’s electoral court rejected his claims and punished him for “bad faith” denial of the result.

Brazil experienced nationwide protests over the issue, some of which were violent. Additionally, Bolsonaro’s fans set up camp outside army bases and demanded that the military carry out a coup to preserve their leader’s position.

According to media sources, Bolsonaro might have had another purpose for departing Brazil. When his presidential immunity from prosecution ends on Sunday, he will be exposed to legal dangers, according to Reuters. He should be charged with nine felonies as a result of how he handled the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a Senate panel’s recommendation made last year.