After damp squib report, Defense Ministry ramps up putschist rhetoric

A day after releasing its “audit” of the voting system, admitting that no evidence of election fraud was found, the Defense Ministry released a new statement on Thursday highlighting that the Armed Forces “do not rule out the possibility of fraud” having taken place.

Although it does not bring anything new to the table, the new statement serves to fire up groups of President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters who do not accept the electoral result. On social media, users understood the move as a dog whistle for pro-Bolsonaro demonstrators to continue their street rallies — calling for a military coup.

Since President Jair Bolsonaro lost his re-election campaign, protesters have mobilized themselves in hundreds of roadblocks — which were only fully cleared only two days ago — and in demonstrations in front of army barracks across the country. They call on the Armed Forces to intervene to “re-establish law and order.”

Commanded by General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, an ally of Mr. Bolsonaro, the Defense Ministry is usually restrained in its public positions. A second statement in 24 hours is no ordinary gesture.

“[Mr.] Bolsonaro was upset by the report that did not say the elections were rigged, and ordered his dispatcher at the Defense Ministry to release a second statement, in order to produce the ‘Big Lie’ and feed fanatical Sebastianism,” commented political scientist Christian Lynch.

Since he lost the election, the president has become more reclusive than usual and has made few public appearances. For his supporters, the gesture is understood as a coded message that he, as the country’s leader, cannot directly encourage putschist protests at the risk of being punished – but they, his voters, could.

The Supreme Court has been quick to react. Roughly six hours after the Defense Ministry’s Thursday statement, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered that law enforcement agencies in Brasília must unblock all streets and roads still obstructed by anti-democratic protesters.”

The ruling comes amid reports that [115 trucks headed to the federal capital] to reinforce the anti-democratic protests,” the Supreme Court tweeted. “The justice determined the identification of truck owners so that they can be fined BRL 100,000 (USD 18,600) for every hour they fail to comply.”

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