Scenes of chaos in Brazil as supporters of the former president stormed government buildings

Scenes of chaos unfolded yesterday in Brazil's capital Brasilia, with thousands of supporters of the former president storming Congress and other government buildings, denouncing the result of the country's presidential election.

Διαδηλωτές, υποστηρικτές του πρώην προέδρου της Βραζιλίας Ζαΐρ Μπολσονάρου, εισβάλλουν στο κτίριο του Κογκρέσου στην πρωτεύουσα Μπραζίλια Source: AP / Eraldo Peres/AP/AAP Image

KEY POINTS

• mob stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court
• Rioters will be punished, President Lula da Silva assured
• The Brazilian president received the support by Latin American leaders

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised to identify and punish supporters of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro who stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the country's Supreme Court in Brasilia yesterday, Sunday.

Thousands of yellow-and-green-clad protesters wreaking havoc in the capital, capped months of tension after the most tense election in a generation.

Bolsonaro, who lost the October 30 vote to leftist da Silva - known as Lula - peddled the false claim that Brazil's electronic voting system was prone to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.

The invasion poses an immediate problem for Lula, who was only inaugurated on 1 January and has pledged to unite a nation torn by Mr Bolsonaro's nationalist populism.

Television images showed protesters breaking into the Supreme Court and Congress, smashing furniture. Local media estimated about 3,000 people were involved.