Jair Bolsonaro leaves power with a controversial air, often pictured as a stern ex‑military figure who seemed to wave an imaginary pistol in gesture more theatrical than threatening. He used provocative remarks in front of cameras and across social networks, while calling for a quiet, almost monkish silence as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepared to take over the presidency. The outgoing leader acted from pique, resisting a smooth handoff to his successor and suggesting he would not be ready to govern again anytime soon. As Brazil approached Lula’s inauguration, talk drifted toward a myth of the past, with discussions about football and national mourning following the death of Pelé as the political climate grew tense.
There appears to be little reason for Bolsonaro to relocate, though the idea of moving to the United States has been floated, with Florida and Orlando mentioned as possible keepsakes from his career. The former captain is rumored to seek solace among American acquaintances. Bolsonarism, the most radical faction within the movement, representing a notable slice of the electorate, had urged bolder actions, threatening to push institutional tensions to their limit, much like parallels drawn with certain waves in American politics. At one point, Bolsonaro reportedly offended some of his strongest supporters by transferring some authority to Ciro Nogueira, a key political operative, during the transition. The president, less combative than usual, appeared to yield reluctantly to the far‑right’s resistance to the election results. The Supreme Court rejected the petitions, yet Bolsonaro remained silent, contemplating his own disappointment in relative isolation.
depression and crying days
Silence became a constant until events that might reverse the momentum of the left were possible. A frustrated crowd, capable of altering history, loomed in the background. Friends and confidants grew concerned as the president spent his final days in Brasília drifting away from ordinary reality, crafting a personal narrative as if in a trance, observers noted. A columnist described this period as a potential depressive state, suggesting frequent tears and a sense of detachment from the world as events around him unfolded.
Within this frame of distress, Bolsonaro withdrew from the capital before the next wave of residents moved in. A Rio de Janeiro writer observed that the pain of defeat is sometimes eased by charitable rituals carried out with care and dignity, though what was seen in this instance appeared far from such calm. The public and his followers clung to the hope of military or divine intervention, questions that lingered as the political drama pressed on. Bolsonaro—silent and secluded—kept pressure on the narrative, heightening the aura of unresolved legitimacy in the eyes of many supporters.
weight of inheritance
There was no handover of the presidential belt to Lula; a symbolic act that sparked debate about democracy, societal education, and the tension between continuity and rupture. Commentators wondered aloud about how much protection the judiciary affords leaders, a question that has long shadowed constitutional politics in Brazil. An analyst in São Paulo framed the issue as part of a larger, ongoing debate about the checks and balances that guard political power.
An inventory of the Bolsonaro era began amid the fallout, as investigations and ongoing questions about the past crept forward. Lula spoke of a legacy that many saw as a disaster across multiple fronts. In the days leading to the transition, federal investigators reviewed whether public statements by the former captain had disturbed public order, including posts that spread misinformation about the COVID‑19 vaccine and mask use. The pandemic, initially dismissed by the president as a trivial issue, had claimed countless lives and left a lasting scar on the national memory.
Bolsonaro departed from government, yet Bolsonarism remained a powerful current in Brazilian society. Analysts forecast that this energized faction would persist, shaping political discourse for years. What comes next for the former captain remains uncertain, and his silence in the transition period did little to preserve the political capital built up during the elections. The storyline continued to unfold, with many watching to see whether the movement would redefine its methods or retreat from the public stage.