Sergio Alonso Méndez
The news:
Bolsonaro, a nostalgic for the dictatorship, brings to the public sphere the anniversaries of the coup since he came to power … (elpais.com).
Commentary:
The first act of the new Defense Minister in Brazil was to receive the resignation of three military leaders. The chief of the army, the navy and the air force, nothing more. The reason for your resignation? Support for the former Defense Minister who was fired by Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil. It is not very clear what reasons Bolsonaro argued for firing him, but the former minister is known to have declared: “The army owes allegiance to the constitution, not to a person.” Interesting.
This leads one to think that Bolsonaro is contemplating a potential coup d’état if he loses the next elections in which he seeks re-election. It is not explained in any other way that he is seeking loyalty to his person in the military chief. And it is that the re-election is getting complicated, mainly for two reasons.
The first, that Lula da Silva could appear, unless some legal trick prevents him, as a candidate. And many people love Lula and do not buy the accusations of corruption that have been placed on him. With Lula competing, Bolsonaro has it difficult.
The second is the management of the pandemic. Brazil accumulates more than 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus, only behind the United States. And it is that Bolsonaro has always opposed containment measures. From his perspective, the economic damage from suspending activities is greater than the damage from the virus. And it is one of the most backward countries in terms of vaccination. Many people, including several governors, criticize her for the mismanagement of the pandemic. Bolsonaro has even declared in relation to this issue: “Stop complaining!” If he were Mexican, he would probably have exclaimed: “Ya chole!”
It feels a Deja Breasts with that expression, but it can’t be. No president worth his salt would use such a childish expression. Truth? The point is that Bolsonaro is against all the people who think that the coronavirus is a serious thing. And there are many, so re-election remains to be seen. In which case, would it be able to stage a coup?
If we consider that the second act of the new Defense Minister was to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the 1964 coup, one cannot help but suspect that Bolsonaro wants the army in his hand for something. March 31 is not a festive date in Brazil and in the past only some former soldiers celebrated it with a meal. It seems that Bolsonaro’s feelings are coming to light.
Let us remember that he has a past as a military man in precisely the time that the military dictatorship ruled Brazil. It is not to ramble madly to consider that Bolsonaro is moving his chips and that he could take away a potential Lula win the wrong way.
Sergio Alonso Méndez holds a Ph.D. in International Business from the University of Texas
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