A Brazil without Bolsonaro

Where in the world is Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president? Today’s Post Reports examines why Bolsonaro left the country ahead of the ceremonial handover of power, and what his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could mean for a divided Brazil.

Brazilian elections were razor-thin: Lula won just 50.9 percent of the vote. But the country’s young democracy was put to its biggest test yet when incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro questioned the election process and never formally conceded. Many have likened his actions to those of former U.S. president Donald Trump.  

Gabriela Sá Pessoa has been covering the Brazilian election, from Bolsonaro rallies in São Paulo to Lula’s inauguration in Brasília. She breaks down what happened when Bolsonaro finally broke his silence in the days leading up to Lula’s inauguration this week and the mystery surrounding why the former president is staying in Florida. Meanwhile in Brazil, a once-jailed icon of the Latin American left returned to power with his own twist on an inauguration tradition, given Bolsonaro’s absence. But after the celebrations die down, how will Lula enact his ambitious agenda and lead a deeply divided country?