MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. Brazil will be able to preserve political stability, despite the riots organized by local extremists, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, or upper house of Russia’s parliament, said on Tuesday.
"We are keeping a close eye on the attempts at destabilizing the situation in Brazil. On January 8, local extremists organized mass riots in the capital city and it is yet to identify and punish those who masterminded these riots. A number of government buildings were seized," she said, adding that thanks to the new president, Lula da Silva, it will be possible to overcome the aftermath of the unrest quite soon and "preserve the political stability and national integrity of the country."
"The rioters and their patrons tried to undermine Brazil’s constitutional system and challenge Lula da Silva’s win in the October presidential elections. I would recall that their results have been recognized by the entire international community," he said.
The Federation Council, in her words, wants to develop and expand bilateral dialogue and cooperation with "Brazilian friends, including lawmakers."
Matviyenko led the Russian delegation to Lula da Silva’s inauguration ceremony. Socialist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in a runoff presidential election, took office as President of Brazil on January 1. The gap between the two was about 2 million votes. The ex-leader did not concede defeat, and Bolsonaro supporters flooded the streets and garrisons of the armed forces, seeking to prevent Lula da Silva from taking office. The former Brazilian president left for the United States in late December 2022.
On January 8, supporters of Brazil’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro staged clashes with the police in the country’s capital of Brasilia and broke into the buildings of the National Congress (parliament), the presidential palace and the Supreme Court. According to preliminary data, about 5,000 people took part in the riots.
Law enforcement forces dropped smoke bombs and tear gas grenades from helicopters to disperse the protesters. The police were able to retake control of the buildings and the rioters were pushed out of the central part of the city.