This week, the latest institutional crisis created by Jair Bolsonaro. And the presence of risk factors among Brazilians is an additional worry amid the pandemic.
How far is ‘too far’ for Jair Bolsonaro?
On Sunday, far-right motorcades around Brazil demanded the end of confinement measures, shouted for the impeachment of state governors, and celebrated the memory of the military dictatorship. Amid the protests, several banners were seen in support of Institutional Act No. 5 (AI-5), a decree enacted by the military regime in 1968 that gave the president powers to dissolve Congress, impeach politicians, and suspend a number of constitutional rights. In Brasília, one anti-democratic demonstration had President Jair Bolsonaro himself as its guest of honor. In a short speech, Mr. Bolsonaro asked Brazilians to “fight alongside” him, said the “mischief is over,” and that “there is no more room for negotiations.”
- The setting was quite symbolic. Riding in a police car, the president joined a parade that called for a military coup, in front of the Army headquarters in Brasília — on April 19, Brazil’s Armed Forces Day.
Why it matters. The pandemic is set to get worse in Brazil, and will demand carefully calibrated responses from governments. But the...