RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has confirmed that on May 24 he will attend the inauguration ceremony of conservative Guillermo Lasso, elected president of Ecuador last April 11 after defeating his progressive rival Andrés Araúz with 52.50% of the votes in a runoff election.
The Brazilian president confirmed that he would travel to the neighboring country on May 23, after participating in a motorcycle parade in Rio de Janeiro, scheduled with his Carioca followers, after the success of the one he held last Sunday in Brasilia.
Since the first case of the coronavirus was confirmed in Brazil on February 26, 2020, the far-right leader has only traveled outside the country twice.
The first was for a working visit to the United States to meet with then-President Donald Trump in early March 2020. The second was for the inauguration of the new Uruguayan president, Luis Lacalle Pou, on March 1 last year.
The event in Ecuador is only Bolsonaro’s second attendance at a presidential inauguratian in Latin America since he took office as head of state. On January 1, 2019, he refused to participate in the inauguration of the new presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, and Bolivia, Luis Arce, both from leftist movements.