By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers
Bolsonaro Redux
Back in August 2021,
we reported that thousands of Indigenous people marched in the Brazilian
capital of Brasilia on Wednesday ahead of a major land rights
ruling. Titled
Amazon's new gold rush.
Then, seven days after the inauguration of Brazilian
President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, thousands of far-right
rioters invaded the country’s federal representative institutions. In acts
reminiscent of the attack on the U.S. Capitol two years prior, the assailants
claimed that Brazil’s 2022 elections were “stolen” and “rigged.” Entering empty
buildings—it was a Sunday—assailants tore through the halls of Brazil’s
Congress, rampaged inside the presidential palace, and ransacked the country’s
Supreme Court. They fought with police officers guarding the buildings and
attacked journalists covering the event. They vandalized millions of dollars worth of art, some dating back centuries. It
is still unclear who organized the attack or how it was planned. But they were
inspired by the man Lula defeated: former president Jair Bolsonaro.
On 2 Nov. 2022,
Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro held rallies to call for an
armed forces intervention following the election of Luiz Inacio.
In September 2023, Jair
Bolsonaro’s former secretary has reportedly told investigators his ex-boss
met the heads of Brazil’s army, navy, and air force late last year to discuss a
“putschist plan” for a military coup.
The claims – reported
by two of Brazil’s most important news outlets, O Globo and UOL – prompted
calls for the alleged rightwing conspirators to be brought to justice.
Bolsonaro, a former
army captain who voices admiration for Brazil’s 1964-85 military dictatorship,
won power democratically in 2018 amid an explosion of anti-establishment voter
rage. But critics suspect that after failing to win re-election last October,
the 68-year-old populist began considering alternative forms of retaining
power.
The news website
UOL reported that Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, Lt Col Mauro Cid,
had told federal police that one such scheme was brought to Bolsonaro after he
lost the election to his leftwing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The draft document,
reportedly shown to Bolsonaro by a former foreign policy adviser called Filipe
Martins, allegedly outlined plans to call fresh elections and for political
rivals to be arrested. Martins and Bolsonaro reportedly held a “secret meeting”
on 18 December 2022.
Cid, who cut a plea
deal with police after being arrested in May, reportedly told investigators
that Bolsonaro had subsequently floated that plan during a meeting with the
military top brass. Bolsonaro’s former aide told police the then commander of
the navy, Adm Almir Garnier, voiced support for the “putschist plan”,
according to O Globo and UOL. However, the head of the army's high command
rejected the idea.
The television
network CNN Brasil, which also reported the
allegations, said Cid had told investigators the navy commander had advised
Bolsonaro “his troops were ready to act [and were] only awaiting his order”.
Lawyers for Bolsonaro,
who has previously denied plotting a coup, issued a statement claiming that
during his administration, he had “never condoned any movement or project that
was not supported by law.” In a recent interview, the former president appeared
to allude to the suggestion that he might have been floating such ideas.
“I can discuss
anything, I can think anything, but as long as I don’t put it into practice,
there’s no problem,” Bolsonaro told a political columnist from O
Globo. “A person can say, ‘Let’s rob the Central Bank,’” Bolsonaro reportedly
added. “What they can’t do is put that into practice.”
The president of
Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL), Valdemar Costa Neto, told CNN Brasil: “Bolsonaro never advocated a coup d’etat.”
Garnier and Martins
made no immediate comment.
“If this information
is confirmed, it proves what we’ve been denouncing since last year ... that a
coup d’etat was indeed being planned,” said Juliano
Medeiros, the president of Brazil’s leftwing Socialism and Liberty party
(PSOL).
“[Bolsonaro] failed –
but I have no doubt at all that he was directly involved in this,” Medeiros
added. Had the alleged coup plot succeeded, “perhaps we’d be having this
conversation in another country, in exile.”
Senator Randolfe
Rodrigues, the government’s leader in Congress, tweeted: “The justice system
must be implacable with the coup-mongers who tried to annihilate the democratic
rule of law. There must be no amnesty!”
“It’s time for Jair to
get ready for jail!” tweeted the leftwing lawmaker Guilherme Boulos in response
to the “bombshell” reports about Brazil’s former far-right leader.
Augusto Heleno, a
retired army general who was one of the most hardline members of Bolsonaro’s
2019-2023 administration, denied knowledge of any such plot. “This conversation
never went on during President Bolsonaro’s government. From the outset, he always
talked about playing within the four lines [of the constitution],”
Heleno told the news website G1.
Supporters of Lula’s government
said the latest revelations reinforced their conviction that Brazilian
democracy had come close to catastrophe – and that Bolsonaro was at the center
of the intrigue. “I have no doubt [Bolsonaro was involved],” Medeiros said.
For updates click hompage here