Bolsonaro has silently returned to public after weeks of losing the election

Weeks after a narrowly lost election, Jair Bolsonaro has made his first public appearance. The Brazilian President attended the graduation ceremony of military academy students.

However, Bolsonaro remained silent during the visit. He did not speak to the press and did not speak at the ceremony.

At the end of last month, Bolsonaro was defeated by his left-wing rival, former President Lula da Silva, with 51 percent of the vote. He has yet to publicly acknowledge this result or congratulate his opponent on the victory. However, the Chief of Staff promised that the government will cooperate with the transfer of power when Lula’s term begins on January 1.

A few days after the poll, Bolsonaro issued a brief statement saying only that he would continue to work for all Brazilian citizens. Then there was calm around the president: his deputy appeared at official events, and the chief of staff took up government affairs.

Vice President Mourao announced a week ago that Bolsonaro’s absence was a medical problem: he would suffer from erysipelas to such an extent that it was impossible for him to wear trousers. “You don’t want to let him go somewhere in shorts, do you?”

However, this does not explain why he has also posted anything on social media except for some official announcements. Even the social media he was broadcasting almost every Thursday didn’t materialize.

So the big question in Brazil is whether Bolsonaro is licking his wounds or is he hatching a plan. Last week, he tried to get the Electoral Commission to declare a large portion of the votes invalid, but this request was rejected for lack of evidence of irregularities.

In addition, Bolsonaro’s party has to pay a fine of 23 million reais (4.1 million euros) because, according to the electoral commission, it attempted to undermine the electoral system with the complaint.

Even before the election, there were fears that Bolsonaro, who has described the country’s military dictatorship as a period of peace and progress, would want to remain in power in an undemocratic way. Therefore, supporters and opponents are still anxiously awaiting the slightest sign of what the president intends to do.