In July 2022, Jair Bolsonaro was approaching the presidential election in a unique position: no other incumbent president vying for re-election had trailed in opinion polls three months prior to Election Day. Some pollsters had Mr. Bolsonaro almost 20 points behind his nemesis, and eventual winner, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In a desperate attempt to increase his chances of victory, Mr. Bolsonaro summoned his cabinet for a meeting on July 5, 2022, during which he ordered — in a 90-minute expletive-laden rant — that the members of his government fight tooth and nail to parrot his unproven attacks against the voting system and defend his legacy.
The meeting was filmed (unbeknownst to most participants) and the footage was made public on Friday by the Supreme Court. It is part of a rich body of evidence against Mr. Bolsonaro and his inner circle — who the police accuse of plotting a coup to keep him in power regardless of the results of the 2022 election.
Several statements by the former president make it clear that this roadmap to victory was made up of moves that were far from the realm of legality.
They include disseminating misinformation to discredit Lula and the electoral system, and to stir panic around the return of the left to power in Brazil.
“We know that if we react after the election, there will be chaos. Brazil will turn into a big guerrilla war, a bonfire,” said Mr. Bolsonaro, without presenting any proof. “We’re going to have to do something before [the vote takes place],” he told a sheepish crowd of cabinet members.
Mr. Bolsonaro made it clear that it was crucial for his cabinet ministers to adhere to his narratives: “From now on, I want every minister to say what I’m going to say here. And if he doesn’t want to say it, he’ll have to tell me why he doesn’t want to. If they don’t have any arguments to make me change my mind, I won’t want to talk to that minister.”
The then-president mentioned a series of issues that he wanted to be linked to the...
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