‘Win or lose, it’s all part of the game’ is an integral part of democracy and elections. In Brazil, however, this idea has not been well respected lately, especially after the October elections that had Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beating President Jair Bolsonaro by a more-than-narrow margin.
Even though pro-Bolsonaro groups never provided evidence, they still believe Lula was behind some sort of electoral fraud plot. And they also believe that the president-elect will not take office on Sunday, even though the whole world is waiting for an inauguration ceremony in Brasília.
These could easily be harmless conspiracy theories, but radical right-wing groups went one step further in the post-election period: they had been showing Brazil the most violent face of the opposition to Lula, with terrorist threats and weapons seized from individuals planning to disrupt the inauguration.
The fear of some attack or an explosion close to Lula’s inauguration ceremony or against him and his supporters has led to reassessed and increased security procedures over the New Year, while several people planning to attend the ceremony may be scared away due to threats of violence. On Christmas Eve, police discovered an explosive device planted near the Brasília airport by Bolsonaro supporters.
The tension will be so big that even fireworks could be misinterpreted. And let’s hope that they are the only blasts people hear on Sunday.
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