A Lesson in Accountability: Brazil,Bolsonaro,and the Erosion of Democratic Norms
The recent legal challenges faced by former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro,and the surprising support he’s received from former U.S. President Donald trump, highlight a critical divergence in how democratic norms are being upheld – or undermined – in the two countries. Bolsonaro’s rhetoric and actions following his 2022 electoral defeat, coupled with the Brazilian legal system’s response, offer a stark contrast to the situation unfolding in the United States.
Bolsonaro, like Trump, refused to accept the results of his election loss, falsely claiming widespread fraud. This culminated in a violent insurrection in Brasília on January 8, 2023, mirroring the January 6th riot in Washington D.C. fueled by similar claims from Trump’s supporters. Bolsonaro’s alleged role in inciting this unrest is now the core of his legal troubles. He even previously expressed a chilling sentiment, stating Brazil would only improve “on the day that we break out in civil war here and do the job that the military regime didn’t do: killing 30,000.”
Trump has publicly denounced the prosecution of Bolsonaro, labeling it a “witch hunt” orchestrated to benefit the current Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom he describes as a “radical leftist.” However,the political landscape in Brazil is more nuanced. Lula leads the social-democratic Workers’ Party, while the judge leading Bolsonaro’s prosecution, Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes, is affiliated with the center-right PSDB and is known for his strict law-and-order approach. De Moraes’ assertive actions were, in part, a response to a perceived lack of enforcement of the rule of law under bolsonaro’s appointed Attorney General. As the author suggests, a parallel in the U.S. would be if Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.proactively pursued legal action against a president deemed to be flouting the law.
This situation has prompted a degree of envy from some observers in the United States. Bolsonaro, a leader who attempted to subvert the democratic process through false claims and incitement to violence, is being held accountable for his actions – both by voters and by the courts.
This accountability is central to a functioning democracy. political scientists distinguish between ”vertical accountability” – voters holding leaders accountable through elections – and “horizontal accountability” – checks and balances between coequal branches of government. Leaders like Bolsonaro attempt to circumvent both, clinging to power despite electoral defeat and undermining autonomous institutions like courts and agencies. In Brazil, however, both forms of accountability prevailed.
Trump’s intervention in Bolsonaro’s case also underscores a missing element in the current U.S. governance: the influence of advisors willing to challenge a president’s possibly damaging instincts. For example, Trump’s recent threat of high tariffs against Brazil, ostensibly to aid bolsonaro, carries important risks.Such tariffs could exacerbate inflation on essential consumer goods like coffee and orange juice, a politically sensitive issue given Trump’s focus on controlling inflation in his 2024 campaign. Furthermore, the use of tariffs in this context undermines the stated justifications for such measures – protecting U.S. manufacturers or addressing trade imbalances.
the dynamic reveals a shift in global leadership. Once viewed as a model of democratic governance, the United States now finds itself observing – and perhaps learning from – Brazil, a nation demonstrating the importance of holding leaders accountable and upholding the rule of law.
(Based on the article by susan Stokes, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and Faculty Director of the Chicago Center on Democracy.)