NEW DELHI: Amid the accusations of plotting a coup to stay in power, Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro called for a peaceful protest in Sao Paulo on Sunday and urged to attend in defence of the “democratic rule of law.”
The organizers hope that at least 500,000 people will participate in the event.
Police have seized Bolsonaro’s passport and he is under scrutiny for their alleged plans to remain in power after losing the 2022 elections to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, a 68-year-old former army officer, has denied these accusations and refused to answer questions during a recent interrogation at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia. In an interview with CBN Recife radio station, Bolsonaro said, “No one attempted a coup in Brazil. That is the great truth.”
In January 2023, just a week after Lula took office, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court, calling for military intervention to overturn what they believed was a stolen election. Bolsonaro, who was in the United States at the time, denies any responsibility and has even suggested that the protesters were not truly his supporters.
However, investigators claim that Bolsonaro engaged in months of anti-democratic maneuvers, including a disinformation campaign to discredit Brazil’s electronic voting system before the elections. They also allege that he planned to legitimize a military intervention if he lost. Police have released a video of a July 2022 meeting where Bolsonaro can be seen shouting and swearing, ordering cabinet ministers to help him discredit the election system.
They also claim that Bolsonaro edited a draft presidential decree that would have declared a state of emergency, called for new elections, and ordered the arrest of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who heads Brazil’s Superior Electoral Tribunal.
Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022, claims to be a victim of “persecution” and is facing several investigations, including allegations of falsifying Covid-19 vaccination certificates and misappropriating gifts received from other nations. In June, the electoral tribunal barred Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030 due to his attacks on the election system.
Bolsonaro urged his supporters to come dressed in the yellow and green of Brazil’s flag, which he claimed as a symbol when in office.
“I’m going there, for Brazil. It will be gigantic!” a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s party, Bia Kicis, wrote on X (Formerly known as Twitter).
(With inputs from agency)
The organizers hope that at least 500,000 people will participate in the event.
Police have seized Bolsonaro’s passport and he is under scrutiny for their alleged plans to remain in power after losing the 2022 elections to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, a 68-year-old former army officer, has denied these accusations and refused to answer questions during a recent interrogation at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia. In an interview with CBN Recife radio station, Bolsonaro said, “No one attempted a coup in Brazil. That is the great truth.”
In January 2023, just a week after Lula took office, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court, calling for military intervention to overturn what they believed was a stolen election. Bolsonaro, who was in the United States at the time, denies any responsibility and has even suggested that the protesters were not truly his supporters.
However, investigators claim that Bolsonaro engaged in months of anti-democratic maneuvers, including a disinformation campaign to discredit Brazil’s electronic voting system before the elections. They also allege that he planned to legitimize a military intervention if he lost. Police have released a video of a July 2022 meeting where Bolsonaro can be seen shouting and swearing, ordering cabinet ministers to help him discredit the election system.
They also claim that Bolsonaro edited a draft presidential decree that would have declared a state of emergency, called for new elections, and ordered the arrest of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who heads Brazil’s Superior Electoral Tribunal.
Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022, claims to be a victim of “persecution” and is facing several investigations, including allegations of falsifying Covid-19 vaccination certificates and misappropriating gifts received from other nations. In June, the electoral tribunal barred Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030 due to his attacks on the election system.
Bolsonaro urged his supporters to come dressed in the yellow and green of Brazil’s flag, which he claimed as a symbol when in office.
“I’m going there, for Brazil. It will be gigantic!” a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s party, Bia Kicis, wrote on X (Formerly known as Twitter).
(With inputs from agency)
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