This week, the Bolsonaro government is using the Covid hearings frenzy to push through controversial legislation. And Bolsonaro’s electoral resilience begins to show cracks.
Hearings committee offers golden opportunity for Bolsonaro
The Brazilian political spotlight is trained on the Senate, which is carrying out an inquiry into the government’s pandemic response. While the probe puts enormous pressure on the administration, it also offers it a golden opportunity to pass a series of bills in Congress, while attention lies elsewhere.
- House Speaker Arthur Lira — who has proven to be an effective ally of President Jair Bolsonaro — set up a special committee to analyze a bill reinstating paper ballots in the 2022 election. The proposal has been championed by the president for several years, as he deems the electronic system “prone to fraud.” Supreme Court Justice Luís Roberto Barroso — who presides over the Electoral Justice system — warned last week about the risk of next year’s results being challenged in court.
- The House passed changes to the National Security Law, a remnant from Brazil’s dictatorship which has been used to silence dissonant speech. Allies of President Bolsonaro have invoked the legislation to bully opponents,...