Brazil election: Bolsonaro calls on protesters to end blockades on nation's roads

Protests by backers of Jair Bolsonaro, led by truck drivers, have spread across the country as the Brazilian president remains silent over his loss in Sunday’s election, so far refusing to concede defeat to his foe Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Supporters of the firebrand president, unhappy with the election result, blocked roads across 23 states and the capital and restricted access to Sao Paulo international airport late Monday evening, forcing the cancellation of some flights. Over 300 federal highways were partially or fully blocked at one point, according to the police.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who also oversaw the electoral court for the election process, ordered the federal highway police to clear the protests, warning of fines reaching 100,000 reais ($19,306) per hour per vehicle and that the agency’s director could be sidelined if he didn’t comply.

As of Tuesday morning, some 289 protests continued to block the free circulation of traffic, down from a maximum of 342, O Estado de S. Paulo reported. While Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport showed flights were departing normally from its multiple terminals, a message posted to its Twitter account said that access was still partially obstructed due to protests.

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