SAO PAULO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Brazil's acting president, Hamilton Mourao, on Saturday criticized outgoing far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro for allowing anti-democratic sentiment to thrive in the wake of this year's election, in a veiled dig in a New Year speech.While defending some aspects of Bolsonaro's four years in power, such as leaving behind a strong economy, Mourao also criticized environmental backsliding after deforestation in the Amazon reached a 15-year-high under his watch.Vice president under Bolsonaro, Mourao delivered the New Year speech after taking over on Friday, when the outgoing president flew to Florida to avoid handing over the presidential sash to leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at his Jan. 1 inauguration.Some hardcore Bolsonaro supporters have been camping outside army barracks since his defeat, calling for the military to stage a coup, while also railing against the country's Supreme Court, which Bolsonaro has accused of trampling on his executive power and censoring right-wing voices."The alternation of power in a democracy is healthy and must be preserved," the acting president said, while recalling some accomplishments but recognizing the Bolsonaro administration had some "mishaps" on the environmental front over the years."