Good morning! On this Friday the 13th, we talk about physical evidence suggesting the Bolsonaro camp really wanted an old-fashioned coup. Lula’s lost confidence in the military. And Haddad’s plan to curb the deficit.
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Former justice minister had coup decree draft at home
In a search and seizure operation at the home of Anderson Torres, who served as Jair Bolsonaro’s justice minister, the Federal Police found the draft of a decree that would have given Mr. Bolsonaro the power to overturn the 2022 election results.
Say what? The document placed the Superior Electoral Court, Brazil’s highest electoral authority, under a “state of defense.” The goal would be to “establish the fairness of the 2022 presidential election.”
- Unlike a “state of siege,” which applies nationwide, a state of defense is limited to specific places. Also unlike a state of siege, it is valid immediately and can later be overturned by Congress.
- Since Brazil became a democracy again in the 1980s, neither of these states of emergency have been declared.
Control. The decree...