President Jair Bolsonaro was tested three times for Covid-19. He had always claimed the results were negative, but refused to show any proof. After a legal battle between the government and a daily newspaper who asked for access to the test results, it was confirmed that Mr. Bolsonaro did not contract the coronavirus.
So, why hide?
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On this episode:
- Filipe Campante is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is interested in political economy, development economics, and urban/regional issues. His research looks at what constrains politicians and policymakers beyond formal checks and balances: cultural norms, institutions, media, and political protests.
Background reading:
- Tancredo Neves was elected president in 1985 — but he never took office. He was rushed to the hospital on the eve of his inauguration, dying 39 days later of a disease he never disclosed to the public. We tell the full story in our Special Podcast on the 30 years of Brazil’s 1988 Constitution.
- It’s not just Mr. Bolsonaro. Brazilian states are also failing to disclose accurate, transparent Covid-19 data. Minas Gerais, Brazil’s second-most populated state, could be a textbook example: the government does not test suspected cases.
- From our Covid-19 Live Blog: Bolsonaro on March 20: ‘A little flu won’t kill me’
- Jair Bolsonaro’s response to Covid-19 as deaths pile up.
Explaining Brazil is made by:
- Gustavo Ribeiro, editor in chief of The Brazilian Report. He has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics. His work has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets, including Veja, Época, Folha de S.Paulo, Médiapart, and Radio France Internationale.
- Euan Marshall, editing. Euan is a journalist and translator who has lived in São Paulo, Brazil since 2011. Specializing in Brazilian soccer, politics and the connection between the two, his work has been published in The Telegraph, Al Jazeera, The Independent, among others.
Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at [email protected]
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