Since July 29, President Jair Bolsonaro has been persistently repeating the statement he made, even when he was a candidate for the Planalto Palace, always without proof: that the electronic voting machines used in Brazil are unreliable and have been used to rig the last elections. This time, however, the false information broadcast live on social media on the 29th had repercussions. Bolsonaro faced the toughest backlash in the aftermath of the “living bomb” coup threats besides an investigation by the Supreme Court (STF) and the High Electoral Court (TSE).

Controversy over print votes and the president’s attacks on magistrates have mobilized debate in recent days and overshadowed what could be considered positive for the government. In a nervous week, the House approved the privatization of Correios, one of Planalto’s major economic programs; covid vaccination has advanced in the country and Bolsonaro has published details of the new Bolsa Família. With a higher cost, the program will now be called Auxílio Brasil. However, none of these issues was discussed as much as the press vote and the chief executive’s attacks on democracy.

Despite failing to present evidence of electoral fraud, Bolsonar managed to triple the average number of views in the last live broadcast in July, compared to his live broadcasts every Thursday. So far, the president’s official YouTube channel has received 900,717 views, which is an average of 258,000 views for each such appearance. On Facebook, the “living bomb” broadcast by the public broadcaster TV Brasil reached 1.2 million views, while it is usually between 250,000 and 400,000.

Following this episode, in which Bolsonaro and a retired colonel presented old videotapes of false accusations to suggest, without any evidence, that ballot box tampering took place in 2018 and 2014, the president’s election threats intensified. … fame. TSE opened an administrative investigation against Bolsonaro, which was also included by the Supreme Court in the investigation of fake news. Entrepreneurs and intellectuals came out with a manifesto in favor of the elections, as did the top of the prosecutor’s office.

The proposal for a print vote was rejected by a special committee of the House, but on Friday, House President Arthur Lira (Progressistas-AL) presented the amendment in plenary. The forecast is a vote on the text until Wednesday. However, Lyra warned Bolsonaro that if the government was defeated again, and he did not comply with this decision, Centrão would cease to be an ally. He even mentioned to press the “yellow button”, which is a sign that he has the opportunity to open the way for impeachment.

According to the leader of the government in the House of Ricardo Barros (Progressistas-PR), the country needs to “get used” to the behavior of the head of the executive branch. “President Bolsonaro is President Bolsonaro. We need to get used to this. He was president for two and a half years, and everyone knows their own way. He reacts. Everything is as it should be. I do not understand how this will go beyond his behavior, ”said Barros Estadão.

The MP also downplayed the importance of the businessmen’s manifesto in defense of the elections and the judiciary’s responses to the president. “How many entrepreneurs are there? This is all narrative. Everyone wants to hitchhike every time it comes up as a topic. This is not a cohesive, organized movement. These are those who want to get a GPA (…). There are also many people in the judiciary who want to deal with the media, ”said Barros, CPI Covid entity.

The government leader’s response is disputed by political scientist and professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) Leonardo Avritzer. “It’s good for Brazil to get used to the ‘Bolsonaro way of life’. It is best for Bolsonaro to get used to democracy in Brazil, not Brazil to get used to its authoritarian raptures, ”said Avritzer, one of the country’s top democracy researchers.

In his opinion, Bolsonaro’s speech is not just bravado. “We are experiencing a process of erosion of democratic institutions. The President questions the security of the vote and thereby undermines the confidence of a large group of the population in the fairness of the electoral process, which is one of the main, if not the main, foundations of Brazilian democracy. ” – said the professor. According to Avritzer, the president’s statements could “become a starting point for challenging the results of the 2022 elections, which could cause a lot of political upheaval and even violence.”

Political calculation

According to the diagnosis of political scientist Bruno Carazza, this is calculating behavior. Bolsonaro is widely believed to be doing this to “revitalize” his base, as he is trapped in factors such as the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis, and is being challenged by the leadership of former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in polls on voting intentions.

“By questioning the elections and the judiciary, Bolsonaro provides the elements for this non-negligible base of support, which now accounts for 20 to 25% of the electorate,” said Carazza, professor at Ibmec and Fundação Dom Cabral. The author of Dinheiro, Eleições e Poder: Mechanisms of the Brazilian Political System, he noted that, having decided to transfer the “soul of government” to Centrão, with the appointment of Senator Ciro Nogueira (Progressistas) to the Civil House, Bolsonaro was accused by his supporters. “This is another reason for him to strain to divert attention from the basic composition he did with Centrão in Congress.”

The reaction to Bolsonaro’s attacks against democracy is intensifying. “I don’t think bravado leads to a coup. I truly believe in institutions and we will continue to strengthen democracy, ”said STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who leads the investigation into fake news.

The deputy prosecutors of the Republic have demanded action from the Attorney General Augusto Aras, who is now considered an ally of Bolsonaro. The manifesto, signed by 29 attorney’s assistants, states that the head of the federal attorney must act “in defense of the STF and TSE, their members and their decisions, without being able to passively watch the horrific attacks on these courts and their members.” …

Faced with attacks from Bolsonaro, Chief Justice Luis Fuchs canceled the meeting between the powers and also demanded a vigorous position from Aras. He said nothing. Bolsonaro did not back down. On the contrary: the day before yesterday, in a conversation with supporters in Santa Catarina, he called Barroso “son …”. The video of the curse was posted on their social media and then deleted. “They want to solve issues on the carpet,” he said yesterday after motociata in Florianópolis. Thus, Bolsonaro will determine the country’s political agenda. How long? “The yellow button is still pressed. Follow me by tapping with your finger. I am attentive, 24 hours a day, ”Lyra warned. Information from the newspaper State of Sao Paulo.

Look too

+ Ana Maria Braga’s marriage falls apart after her husband mistreats employees, says columnist
+ Learn about the effectiveness of each Covid-19 vaccine
+ View photo of Carolyn Lim, Neymar’s new novel
+ Lazaro Barbosa escapes from the police again after the shooting
+ Gracyanne Barbosa dances pole dance in a new style
U.S. agency warns: never wash raw chicken
+ After suing her daughter-in-law, Medina’s mother accuses her of destroying the house; see the photo
+ Yasmine Brunet breaks the silence
+ Easy-to-make chocolate fondue with fruit
+ Shark caught in Massachusetts with the remains of young people missing in the stomach