Brazil election: Bolsonaro supporters call for military intervention
“We were better off with them than any of them. [Workers’ Party] Government,” she said.
His candidacy defeated, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters gathered at army headquarters in the Brazilian capital on Wednesday to demand military intervention. Some said commanders wanted him to audit Sunday’s vote to ensure Lula’s victory was legitimate. Others have called for an outright coup, citing no evidence that the election was rigged or rigged.
“We don’t want a thief and a corrupt person to be president,” said 58-year-old teacher Clouse Merlin. “Just thinking about it makes me sick.” The soldiers, she said, “are our last hope.”
Analysts say a coup is unlikely. The Supreme Electoral Court declared former two-term president leftist Lula the winner of what officials said was the winner within hours of the polls closing.
Right-wing Bolsonaro broke 45 hours of silence after the election on Tuesday to thank voters and say he would follow the constitution. He did not mention Lula by name or admit defeat, but said he had been given the authority to begin the transition. The vice president said, “We have lost the game,” while Bolsonaro told the judiciary that the trial was “over.”
“The military can stay out,” said Robert Mugah, founder of the Rio-based Igarape Institute. “Allowing civil institutions to control the process as appropriate.”
“The military is being very pragmatic at this point,” said Guilherme Casaroes, a political analyst at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo. “Most military officials are law abiding and legitimate. They are not going to attempt a coup or anything like that. This is not 1964.
The president’s supporters blocked highways and roads after Lula was declared the winner on Sunday evening. For months, Bolsonaro has cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral system and laid the groundwork for a run for bankruptcy, and on Tuesday afternoon he described his actions as a justified expression of “anger and a sense of injustice”.
That was all the encouragement many Bolsonistas needed. On Tuesday evening, they began to gather outside the headquarters of the army in Brasilia; It descended further on military bases in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. Several highways remained closed Wednesday.
But on Wednesday night, the president backtracked, urging his supporters to clear highways and roads, arguing that the blockade was hurting the economy and people’s freedom of movement. But he added that protests elsewhere were “welcome” as “part of the democratic game”.
“To the Brazilians protesting all over Brazil, I know you’re angry, sad and expecting something else – and so am I.” I am as upset and sad as you are. But we have to keep our heads straight,” he said in a video posted on his social media page.
“Please don’t think bad of me. I want you to be well. Let’s not throw this away. Let’s do what needs to be done. I am with you, and I am sure that you are with me. The question is: Highways. Let’s use them for the benefit of our country,” he added.
In the year come back again. Less than three years later, he was convicted of corruption and money laundering.
Lula was freed for more than 19 months when the Supreme Court ruled that he had been denied due process. The charges were later dropped. Some Brazilians believe he was technically released and guilty. He maintained his innocence; Supporters say he should never have been charged.
Officials said Wednesday’s protests were largely peaceful. But on a closed road in the southeastern city of Mirasol, a man drove his car into a crowd of people, seriously injuring 15, the Sao Paulo state security secretariat said. Videos on social media show a gray car throwing people into the air and running over others. The driver has been arrested.
In Brasilia Tuesday night, families with young children sat on folding chairs, barbecued meat and drank beer from coolers. People dressed in bright green and gold waved giant Brazilian flags. Some knelt in prayer around the evangelical pastor who asked for divine intervention to “cast the demons out of the government” and allow Bolsonaro to stay.
Dozens of people chanted, “It’s you, Brazil, beloved homeland!” They sang the national anthem.
Lucas Miranda, a 27-year-old entrepreneur, says he does not support a military coup. But he wanted the army to launch an “investigation” to ensure the election was “clean and fair”.
“I’m Brazilian above all else,” he said. I came for the love of my country, for the constitution. The military said it would accept Lula’s victory if he confirmed the vote.
The military agreed to conduct an audit of the vote sample from the first round of elections on October 2 in September. He did not announce the results of that evaluation.
Miranda He rejected comparisons between Bolsonaro and his partner, former President Donald Trump, who rejected the 2020 election defeat by Joe Biden.
“Unlike Trump, Bolsonaro never told us to wreak havoc or steal anything or invade,” he said. “We are not for rebellion or coup. We only want the truth.
Lula ignored Bolsonaro and his protests.
“I am confident we will have an excellent transition,” the president tweeted Tuesday after his speech. We will build a government for all Brazilians.
Analysts say the next few days could be critical. If the opposition grows, they may encourage Bolsonaro to take action, Casaros said.
If Bolsonaro sees that he has great support, he will probably make things worse.