Two days before the end of his term in office, outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has given a rather positive assessment of his term in office. The right-wing head of state said in a video message that he had boosted the economy, liberalized gun laws and lowered fuel prices.

"Am I going to say that I was the best president in the world? I won't. But I gave my blood." He also referred to the difficult conditions caused by the corona pandemic and the Ukraine war during his tenure.

The left-wing ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) prevailed against Bolsonaro in the runoff election in October. On Sunday he will become the first democratically elected head of state to serve a third term. So far, Bolsonaro has not expressly acknowledged his opponent's election victory. Lula's government is already "broken," Bolsonaro said in the video message. His successor will have trouble with the now more conservative Congress, and sections of the population who voted for Lula now regret it.

Bolsonaro will probably not take part in the handover

Contrary to custom, according to observers, Bolsonaro will probably not take part in the handover on New Year's Day. He may even travel abroad. His employees, who are still entitled to him after the end of his term of office and who will be paid from taxpayers' money, have already had a trip to the USA approved for the whole of January.

Most recently, radical Bolsonaro supporters had camped in front of barracks and called for military intervention against the government of the future president. Bolsonaro said in his speech that he had nothing to do with it. He also condemned a failed bomb attack by one of his sympathizers as an act of terrorism.

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