Bolsonaro’s Former Support Base Accuses President of ‘Betrayal’

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The appointment of Judge Kassio Nunes Marques to fill a seat in the Supreme Court (STF) has displeased long-time Bolsonarists who publicly clashed with Jair Bolsonaro, accusing the President of “betraying” the commitments made in the 2018 campaign.

The appointment to the Court sparked strong criticism and a wave of discontent, with threats of a stampede and pressure for Bolsonaro to change the name of the appointee.

The group of disenchanted supporters, including former Ministers Sérgio Moro(Justice), Luiz Henrique Mandetta (Health), and Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, of the Government Secretariat, has been growing every day. The attacks now come from all sides, particularly from the “root” wing of Bolsonarism; the hasthag #BolsonaroTraidor (BolsonaroTraitor) has emerged with force on social media.

Entrepreneurs, military officers, evangelicals and ideological activists called the selection of Judge Marques a “serious mistake” and a missed opportunity to appoint a “conservative” to the seat of STF Justice Celso de Mello, who will retire October 13th. Bolsonaro said he was “upset” with the discontentment. “Do you trust me or not?” he asked a group of militants outside the Alvorada Palace.

Bolsonaro’s meeting at the home of STF Justice Dias Toffolli on Saturday, attended by nominee Marques and Congress’s President Davi Alcolumbre, aggravated the situation. The ‘Vem Pra Rua’ (Hit the Street) movement, which led demonstrations for the impeachment of ex-president Dilma Rousseff (PT), began to advocate Bolsonaro’s removal and decreed itself in “mourning” for his government.

“In the campaign, Bolsonaro promised to face up to the system. In power, Bolsonaro negotiated the nomination of Kassio Nunes with Gilmar, Toffoli and Davi Alcolumbre. Is there a bigger betrayal than this?”, asks Vem Pra Rua in a post published on social media, also citing the visit to STF Justice Gilmar Mendes.

The movement began to chant the slogan “Out, Bolsonaro” and is suggesting protests throughout the country on October 25th. “Seriously. We need to think of a way to welcome those who come ashore from this punctured canoe that is Bolsonarism,” reads another message from Vem pra Rua.

Bolsonarists linked to the financial market also signalled disengagement from the government. The most striking came from one of those responsible for introducing to Bolsonaro his Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes, until recently one of the pillars of the government. “Time to get off. It’s over. A mistake of this magnitude is not made by chance,” reacted Winston Ling, a Chinese-Brazilian entrepreneur and investor, historical supporter of the conservative cause and economic liberalism in the country.

Appeals

On Monday, October 5th, Ling demanded a change. “The President’s choice of the new member for the STF may be reversed if there is pressure from the conservative activist base. Shall we push?” he wrote on Twitter.

Leandro Ruschel, investment consultant and one of the most influential conservative militants on social media, also petitioned against Kassio Marques, calling the appointment a “tragedy”. “It’s bloody over,” Ruschel wrote. “It’s clear that we need to start from scratch. The President has made it clear with his decision (…) that his political support will come from the forces that have controlled the country since ’88, grouped together in the Centrão, distancing himself from the conservative militancy that elected him.”

Extremist Sara Giromini, who was arrested in June, accused of organizing and taking part in anti-democratic activities, used irony to raise the tone against Bolsonaro. “How I envy Toffoli. At least he got a hug from Bolsonaro,” said Sara on a social media post. “I don’t recognize Bolsonaro. I don’t know who he is anymore. The man whom I decided to surrender my fate and life to protect a conservative legacy,” she said, claiming to have suffered pressure from General Augusto Heleno, Minister of Institutional Security, not to attack the Supreme Court, Congress and the Chamber President Rodrigo Maia.

Sara also stated that the government’s instruction is to dismiss all people linked to her. “After all, Bolsonaro’s scourge is not the left-wing, it’s ‘blondie’ (Sara) who caused it, trying to defend him,” she ironically said.

Heleno conceded he had asked the group to temper its positions, but denied pressuring it. “We had a friendly, polite and productive dialogue. The goal was to advise them to restrain their positions and cooperate with the safety of everyone outside the Alvorada. There was no discord, reprimand or threat of any kind,” the general replied.

For Gabriel Kanner, president of the Brasil 200 Institute, a group created by entrepreneurs who support the President, like his uncle Flávio Rocha, of the Riachuelo department store chain, and Luciano Hang, of the Havan chain of retail stores, the scenario is one of desolation. “Bolsonaro gives up a good part of his conservative base, in exchange for the ‘establishment’ base, which has controlled Brazil for decades,” Kanner argued.

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