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The plane with Bolsonaro on board
Photo: UESLEI MARCELINO / REUTERS
Two days before the end of his term in office, the outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has left the capital Brasília.
He drove from the presidential residence Palácio da Alvorada to the air force base and then took off in one of the presidential planes, local media reported unanimously on Friday.
Bolsonaro's term ends on New Year's, when his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will be sworn in.
Most recently, it had already become apparent that the head of state, contrary to custom, would not take part in the handover.
So far, Bolsonaro has not expressly acknowledged his opponent's election victory.
There has been speculation in the media that Bolsonaro could potentially travel to the United States.
His employees, who are still entitled to him after the end of his term of office and who are paid from taxpayers' money, have already had a trip to the United States approved for the whole of January.
Since his election defeat at the end of October, Bolsonaro has hardly appeared.
On Friday he said goodbye to his followers with a video message.
"The world will not end on January 1st," said Bolsonaro.
"You lose battles, but we won't lose wars," he continued.
He said he 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 wont.
But I gave my blood.« He also referred to the difficult conditions caused by the corona pandemic and the Ukraine war during his tenure.
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.
dop/dpa/AFP