Explaining Brazil #168: How to react to Bolsonaro?

President Jair Bolsonaro managed to draw large crowds for his protests against the Supreme Court. But they weren’t nearly as massive as the government had hoped. They showed that Jair Bolsonaro is strong enough to create political havoc at least until the 2022 election — but not strong enough to topple democracy. Something’s gotta give, but what?

Harsh reactions could prompt even more radical moves by the president. Meanwhile, for the rest of the political class, standing back and doing nothing could be just as dangerous.

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Participants:

• Gustavo Ribeiro is the editor-in-chief of The Brazilian Report.
• Euan Marshall is the editor of The Brazilian Report.
• Beatriz Rey is an NSF Agora Visiting Fellow at Johns Hopkins University and an APSA Congressional Fellow. Beatriz holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and is a columnist for The Brazilian Report.

Background reading:

• Tuesday’s events were neither a flop nor an astounding success. They showed the president remains powerful — just not powerful enough to topple democracy, report Gustavo Ribeiro, Amanda Audi, and Janaína Camelo from Brasília.
• As we explained in our August 23 Brazil Weekly newsletter, President Jair Bolsonaro is waiting for the perfect moment to openly disregard a Supreme Court ruling. On Tuesday, Mr. Bolsonaro said just that.
• Listen to last week’s episode, “Will Brazil have its own January 6 riots?” We spoke to political analyst Alex Hochuli on the possible role the military police could play in Mr. Bolsonaro’s protests.
• Concerns are growing over the role of the police in planned pro-Bolsonaro protests on September 7, explain Gustavo Ribeiro and Janaína Camelo.
• Mr. Bolsonaro’s recent radicalization comes as his re-election chances dip, according to polls. Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva currently holds a 16-point lead over him.
• After two and a half years of issuing strongly-worded statements against President Jair Bolsonaro’s attacks on democracy, members of high courts in Brasília have decided to take effective action against the far-right leader.

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