According to CNN Brazil, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States on Friday. His inauguration as successor, President-elect Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, is scheduled to take place two days after Bolsonaro’s departure.
In a plane belonging to the Brazilian Air Force, Bolsonaro took off from the Brasilia air base. According to CNN Brazil, he was joined by advisers as well as Michelle Bolsonaro, the first lady of Brazil.
Bolsonaro was quoted as saying to CNN Brasil, “I’m on a flight; I’ll be back shortly.”
His decision to leave comes on the heels of the Brazilian government issuing an ordinance on Friday that gives permission for five civil servants to accompany “future ex-president” Jair Bolsonaro to Miami, Florida, between January 1 and 30, 2023. The authorization for this trip was given in the ordinance.
It is not certain when Bolsonaro expects to return to Brazil; nevertheless, the Brazilian convention that outgoing leaders should attend the inauguration ceremony of their successors is likely going to be broken by his journey to the United States. On Sunday, the inauguration of Lula da Silva is scheduled to take place.
In a live broadcast that was made available online earlier on Friday, Bolsonaro addressed his goodbyes to his followers.
In reference to the date of Lula da Silva’s inauguration as president, the outgoing president stated, “Brazil will not finish on January 1, you can be sure of that.”
He went on to say that in today’s world, “we have a mass of people who know more about politics.” “They are aware that they are putting themselves in danger. The noble will prevail. We are represented by leaders in every region of Brazil. Whether they are newly elected or incumbents, politicians will continue to make a difference.
Additionally, he criticized an attempt to attack an airport in the city of Brasilia.
The suspect, who was apprehended during the past weekend, gave a written statement to the police after his detention, in which he stated that he intended to “cause havoc” in order to prevent the former president Lula da Silva from resuming office once more in January.
There is no excuse for this terrorism attack that took place in the vicinity of the Brasilia airport here in Brasilia. “There is no justification for it.” Bolsonaro said Friday.
The administration of Bolsonaro has stated that it is working with the handover of power; yet, the far-right leader has refrained from openly recognizing that he lost the election that took place on October 30. In an act of defiance, thousands of his fans have converged on military bases all around the country. They are pleading with the military to intervene because they assert, without any evidence, that the election was rigged against their candidate.
On the other hand, Bolsonaro overturned an ordinance on Friday that prevented Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and other Venezuelan authorities from entering Brazil. The decree had restricted their arrival.
According to the press officer for the incoming president, the proposal to repeal the prohibition originated from members of Lula da Silva’s campaign team. The invitation for Maduro to attend the inauguration was extended.
Bolsonaro is personally responsible for the enactment of the decree, which went into effect in August of 2019. On Friday, a brand-new ordinance was included in the publication that serves as the official journal of the federal government.
After Bolsonaro’s government took an antagonistic position toward Brazil’s Latin American neighbor, Maduro stated in November that he and Lula had reached an agreement to resume a “cooperation agenda” between the two countries. This came after Maduro’s announcement was made on social media.