Brazilians are ramping up their protests against the defeat of former President Jair Bolsonaro..Hundreds of truckers blocked major roadways in response to the Brazilian Supreme Court freezing protestors' funds..Two weeks ago, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat incumbent Bolsonaro in an exceedingly tight presidential race. The results saw da Silva gain 50.9% of the vote to Bolsonaro's 49.1%, which was even closer than the first round of voting, where da Silva won 48.3% of the vote to Bolsonaro's 43.3% support..READ MORE: Bolsonaro loses Brazil presidential election by narrow margin.Bolsonaro took 44 hours to make his first public remarks since the election ended. Despite refusing to concede, his chief of staff said they would begin the process of transitioning to da Silva's government..Many Brazilians believed the election had been stolen, citing incidents where 100% of the vote in certain counties went to da Silva..No Brazilian institutions that were certified to audit the election, including the Ministry of Defense and Brazilian Bar Association, found evidence of electoral fraud. The Ministry of Defense's report on the election proposed improvements to address some flaws in Brazil’s electoral systems, but did not claim there was fraud..Despite this, tens of thousands of Brazilians from every major city took to the streets to peacefully protest Bolsonaro's election loss. Many of the citizens are protesting against what they believe is electoral fraud, while others argue since da Silva was convicted and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for crimes he committed while president, he should have not legally been allowed to run for president..Hundreds of truckers also blocked major roadways, leading to concerns that food and fuel in the country could run low. Bolsonaro gained the support of the country's trucking industry by fighting to keep diesel prices low. But he's repeatedly asked the truckers not to block Brazil's highways..“I am with you and I am sure that you are with me," Bolsonaro said on Twitter Nov. 2.."The request is: highways, let’s unblock them for the good of our nation and so that we can continue struggling for democracy and freedom.".There have been no major incidents of violence among the protestors. On November 3, a driver rammed his car through a crowd of pro-Bolsonaro protesters in the state of Sao Paulo, injuring 17 people..On November 17, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered banks to block funds from those participating in the protests. So far, funds from 42 different companies have been frozen..Judge De Moraes, who ordered the account blockages, said the protestors are trying to promote non-compliance with the electoral decision, interrupt of the rule of law, and install a new regime.."This scenario requires an absolutely proportional reaction from the State, in the sense of preserving fundamental rights and guarantees," De Moraes said..In response to the court ruling, Brazilian truckers announced a nationwide strike and continued to block major highways. On several major roads in the country, only one lane of traffic is open..It remains to be seen just how disruptive the protests will become, or how heavy-handed the government's response could be..da Silva is set to take power in Brazil on Jan. 1, 2023.
