RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Wednesday, June 10th, the New York Times published a report stating that a military coup, designed to keep President Jair Bolsonaro in power, is now a threat to democracy.
In the text, signed by reporters Simon Romero, Letícia Casado, and Manuela Andreoni, the newspaper stresses that Bolsonaro is being pressured by all sides because of the surge in daily deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as investigations into his sons and allies.
“The crisis has grown so intense that some of the most powerful military figures in Brazil are warning of instability — sending shudders that they could take over and dismantle Latin America’s largest democracy,” they write.
The journalists recall Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro’s recent statement that there would no longer be an opinion about ‘if’, but rather ‘when’ a democratic rupture would occur.
Without quoting sources, the report notes that some officials within the Planalto are actively examining scenarios in which the military could intervene.
“A military official in the government who was not authorized to speak publicly said an intervention remained off the radar for now, but that certain moves by the judiciary, such as ordering a search of Bolsonaro’s palace as part of an investigation, could change that.”
According to the New York Times, Brazil has represented a hope for the emerging world in recent decades, with a thriving economy and the spotlight on the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, but since then the country has been shaken by an economic crisis and serious corruption scandals involving prominent political figures.
Bolsonaro has emerged in 2018, according to the report, making a promise to restore order that flirts with the country’s past military dictatorship. Since then, however, he has become the target of criticism for downplaying the Covid-19 pandemic, sabotaging isolation measures, and “captaining one of the world’s highest death tolls”.
All of this occurs at a time when the President’s family is accused of abuse of power, corruption, and spreading fake news.
Recently, the Rosa & Roubini firm headed by economists Brunello Rosa and Nouriel Roubini, wrote that Bolsonaro has been increasingly autocratic, and the Financial Times pointed out that Bolsonaro has “ignited fear” for Brazilian democracy.
Source: InfoMoney