Explaining Brazil #157: The Anti-Bolsonaro dilemma

On the day Brazil reached the milestone of 500,000 coronavirus deaths, hundreds of thousands staged mass street protests against President Jair Bolsonaro, whose leadership they blame for the pandemic debacle. Demonstrations against the government were seen in at least 438 cities, across all Brazilian states — as well as in several other cities worldwide. 

The Brazilian Report sent journalist Lucas Berti to cover the protests and listen to the demonstrators’ demands. Despite being aware of the risks involved in holding street gatherings, protesters say the dangers of keeping President Jair Bolsonaro in office outweigh those of exposing themselves to the virus.

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Guest:

• Lucas Berti is a journalist at The Brazilian Report. He is behind the Latin America Weekly newsletter, alongside Natália Scalzaretto, and also writes about politics.

Background reading:

• Brazilians protest as the coronavirus death count tops 500,000.
• Government’s plan for herd immunity “destroyed” Brazil, the chairman of the Senate’s Covid hearings committee told Brasília correspondent Janaína Camelo. After showing how the government stalled vaccine deals, the committee now seeks evidence that officials benefited financially from pushing ineffective Covid treatments.
• According to pollster Datafolha, economic pessimism in Brazil has reached new highs. Two in three Brazilians say the country’s economy is unlikely to improve in the near future.
• Struggling with low approval ratings, President Jair Bolsonaro is targeting a new demographic: motorbikers. He has staged multiple rallies on two wheels as a demonstration of political force.
• Polls show voters split between Lula and Jair Bolsonaro ahead of the 2022 election, with candidates closer to the center failing to keep up. And that is true both for the center-left and center-right.
• Old foes, former Presidents Lula and Fernando Henrique Cardoso met in April, after which the latter said he might vote for his erstwhile enemy against Jair Bolsonaro.

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• #democracy
• #jairBolsonaro
• #polls
• #protests