• Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro takes office on January 1.
• Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva’s mandate was thin.
• Lula’s supporters are still angry nearly two months after his ousting.

Brazil‘s national hymn plays continuously outside a military barracks in Sao Paulo, the country’s most populated city, as dozens of supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro mill about in an unfriendly atmosphere. “SOS Armed Forces,” “military intervention with Bolsonaro in power,” and “rescue us from communism” are some of the signs they carry.

“Bolsonaro (drew) large crowds to his (campaign) events. Then the other guy comes and wins the election? How is this possible? It’s absurd! That was fraud – it’s already been proven,” an elderly supporter, wearing jeans and a black polo shirt, told Media.

They, like other Bolsonaro supporters interviewed by media, refused to give their names or have their pictures taken.

Bolsonaro’s most fervent supporters are still angry nearly two months after leftist former president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva was elected, raising hopes that the nation would reinstate environmental laws and witness a less polarized political landscape.

Although Bolsonaro‘s administration claims to be helping with the transfer of power, the far-right incumbent has refrained from officially admitting that he lost the election on October 30.

Thousands of his fans have congregated at military barracks across the nation to protest, pleading with the army to intervene as they assert, without providing any supporting proof, that the election was rigged.

When he takes office on January 1, Lula da Silva will inherit this acrimonious environment. Lula da Silva is in the unfortunate situation of leading a bitterly divided Brazil with the thinnest of mandates, having received just 50.9% of the run-off vote to Bolsonaro’s 49.1%.

“To his party loyal, Lula is a sort of god-like figure, and for a lot of other people, Lula is going to need to try his best to win them back,” Ryan Berg, the director of the Americas at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Media.

“I think a significant portion of people are not really winnable – so any sign of weakness, any sign of lack of economic growth or tax increases or whatever (Lula da Silva) decides to do – they could be aggressive, and it’s going to be bumpier than when he was last president,” he added.

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