The intermittent political crisis that has gripped Brazil in recent years and has drawn high-ranking military and government officials to the issue has drawn the attention of several analysts to the risks it can pose to democracy in the country. This is what Professor Pedro Dallari is talking about in his column this week. “Brazil is going through a very serious political crisis, even more serious than what was reported in the news. A military crisis threatens a coup. The presence of General Eduardo Pasuello at the political demonstration in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday, along with the President of the Republic, is a fact that indicates the magnitude of this crisis, ”says Dallari. “This is because General Pasuello, the former Minister of Health, is an active general and cannot engage in any political activity under the rules of the military. There, because of this act of indiscipline, the army commander applies administrative punishment. But the President knew that the presence of the former minister was a violation, and the general also knew that he was doing the wrong thing and was undisciplined. Both deliberately relied on the crisis, ”the professor analyzes. “If Pasuegllo is not punished by the army commander, it will weaken the structure and hierarchy of the military. And if it is given, it can be recalled by the president, which will cause a very serious institutional crisis, ”he assesses.

However, according to Dallari, the crisis already exists. “In fact, the crisis has already ended. The president insists on subordinating the military commanders to his will – or forcing them to resign, which will open up the opportunity for his allies to take this place, ”the observer says. “In this case, Bolsonaro is counting on a new minister of defense, who, unlike the previous one, was absolutely obedient and obeyed the wishes of the president of the republic,” he says. But at this point, the columnist still does not see a favorable picture for a coup d’état. “It is clear that at first the situation is not conducive to a coup d’état. The president was counting on the support of an ever smaller segment of the population, mainly due to the catastrophic – and even criminal – behavior during the covid-19 crisis. But in any case, the president can provoke a coup – as Donald Trump threatened in the United States – and, even if the attempt is doomed to failure due to lack of support, it will bring much suffering and hardship to Brazilians. society, ”says Dallari. “At this point, it is imperative that society responds, defends democracy and opposes the increasingly irresponsible behavior of the President of the Republic, which poses a threat to citizenship in Brazil,” the observer concludes.

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