Brazilian president seen so rarely in public because he’s ‘allergic to pants’
An unusual explanation has been given for why outgoing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has rarely been seen in public since his October 30 election defeat.
Far-right leader Bolsonaro has only appeared in public once since he lost the vote to former president and left-wing icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
That single appearance came two days after the election when he refused to accept defeat or congratulate Lula, who is due to take over for a third term in office on January 1, having previously ruled the country from 2003 to 2010.
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Whether Bolsonaro will venture out of his Alvorada residence again might depend on if he can find a cure for a nasty skin infection on his leg, according to the O Globo newspaper.
Explaining why the 67-year-old retired military officer is maintaining a low profile, vice-president Hamilton Mourao told the media outlet: "It is a health issue. He has a leg injury, a skin infection.
"He cannot wear pants. You want him to come here wearing Bermuda shorts?"
For the last fortnight, Bolsonaro has not even visited the presidential offices in Planalto, which are located three miles from his home.
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He has also ducked out of both the G20 meeting in Indonesia and the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, while withdrawing from social media and no longer holding his regular Thursday live streams on Facebook.
Lula did make it to the UN climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh on Wednesday as the Brazilian president-elect, and was welcomed with rapturous applause from crowds won over by his promises to protect the Amazon rainforest.
In contrast, Bolsonaro has overseen rampant deforestation during his spell in power but he still has many supporters at home with demonstrators, dressed in the yellow and gold of the national flag, continuing to congregate outside military bases whilst urging the armed forces to intervene and prevent Lula from taking power in the new year.
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