Brazilian police have said they have nearly finished clearing hundreds of roadblocks by supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who have been protesting since his election loss to veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro supporters reacted furiously to Mr Lula's narrow victory on Sunday, blocking highways with cars, trucks, and tractors and camping out at army bases to demand a military intervention to keep the defeated incumbent in power.
"All federal highways are now free of roadblocks," though 11 partial closures remain in four of Brazil's 27 states, federal highway police said in a statement.
The blockades had threatened to cause havoc in Latin America's biggest economy, but have diminished since Mr Bolsonaro urged supporters on Wednesday to "unblock the roads."
Police have broken up a total of 966 roadblocks, they said.
Pro-Bolsonaro protests outside military bases had meanwhile dwindled Friday to just a handful of people in Brasilia and Sao Paulo, and none remained in Rio de Janeiro, AFP correspondents said.
Ex-army captain Bolsonaro remained silent for nearly two days after the election, raising fears he would try to cling to power with the backing of hardline supporters.
But after a series of key allies acknowledged the result, he said on Tuesday that he would respect the constitution, and authorised the start of the transition process for Lula's inauguration on 1 January.
However, Mr Bolsonaro has still not explicitly conceded defeat or congratulated Mr Lula.
The outgoing president yesterday met briefly with vice president-elect Geraldo Alckmin, who is heading Mr Lula's transition team.
Mr Alckmin said the meeting had been "positive," and that Mr Bolsonaro had promised "all information and assistance needed for a smooth transition."
Although Mr Bolsonaro has urged supporters to lift their roadblocks, he also encouraged "legitimate demonstrations," raising fears Brazil may still face turbulent times until Lula is sworn in, and beyond.
In the latest violent incident linked to the divisive election campaign, a 12-year-old girl who was shot at a Lula victory party in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte died Thursday of her wounds.
Ex-metalworker Lula, 77, who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, won an unprecedented third term with 50.9 percent of the vote, to 49.1 percent for Mr Bolsonaro -- the closest presidential election in the country's modern history.
