Jair Bolsonaro against democracy

Jair Bolsonaro, the former far-right president of Brazil, has been formally accused of participating in a plot concocted at the top level of his government to perpetrate a coup that would have prevented his rival, the leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from assuming power after a clean electoral victory. The Supreme Court has also charged almost 30 more people with the crime of violent abolition of the state, including several reserve and active generals. The multiple pieces of evidence collected by Federal Police investigators make up an accusation that takes up 135 pages and is based, mainly, on the confession of a lieutenant who served as Bolsonaro’s private secretary.

The investigating judge is accusing the former president of, among other things, preparing a draft coup decree presented to the leadership of the Armed Forces in the presence of the Minister of Defense. Among the evidence, several WhatsApp messages stand out in which a general belonging to the core of the Cabinet promoted a virtual lynching campaign against the head of the Army after the latter refused to mobilize his troops and join the coup effort.

Thirteen months have passed since January 8, 2023, when thousands of Brazilians, falsely convinced that Lula and the Supreme Court judges had conspired to steal the elections from their leader Bolsonaro, attacked the headquarters of the three powers in Brasília. Never since the end of the dictatorship in 1985 had Brazilian democracy suffered such a serious attack.

Until now, only some of the actual perpetrators have been tried and convicted by the Supreme Court. It is very positive that the judges have focused beyond the ordinary Bolsonaro supporters who vandalized buildings and zeroed in on individuals suspected of organizing the failed democratic breakup from the hallways of power. Along with the role of the previous head of state, suspicions regarding the prominent role of several ministers and the then commander of the Navy are especially serious. At the same time, it is fair to note that the heads of the Army and Air Force refused to rise up against the legitimately elected president.

Bolsonaro, meanwhile, declares himself innocent and a victim of persecution. It is now up to the Supreme Court judges to confirm the solidity of the evidence and place him on the bench with all legal guarantees along with his alleged accomplices. If it is proven that they committed the crimes they are accused of, they must be punished in accordance with the law.

It is imperative that the high court take care of the technical aspect of the case with exquisite attention in view of the precedent a decade ago of the Lava Jato case against corruption, largely annulled due to procedural mistakes. President Lula himself, who was imprisoned for a year and a half for a conviction that was later annulled, was quick to hope that “there is no excess and the law is applied with all rigor” against those who attacked Brazilian democracy.

Jair Bolsonaro cannot run in the elections until 2030 because he has been disqualified for abuse of power. However, he maintains his role as extra-parliamentary leader of the opposition. It is time for the judges to determine responsibilities for the failed coup d’état. It would also be advisable to take advantage of the situation to increase civilian control over the Brazilian Armed Forces. It is vital to strengthen the democracy of the most populous country in Latin America.

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