Photo by Andre Borges/picture alliance
BY OLIVER STUENKEL
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
Brazil’s president is too weak to stage a coup, but strong enough to remain in power and produce a permanent constitutional crisis
https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/stalemate-the-main-outcome-of-bolsonaros-day-of-protest/
SÃO PAULO – Tuesday’s protests across Brazil were a significant gamble by President Jair Bolsonaro. A low turnout would have severely undermined his claims that, despite what credible polls suggest, “the people” are still with him. Back in 1992, then-President Fernando Collor sealed the premature end of his presidency when, facing impeachment, he called on his supporters to wear the colors of the national flag and march to show their support. People showed up, but most wore black instead, in a sign of opposition — paving the way for Congress to get rid of him.
Perhaps aware of such risks, Bolsonaro and his advisors worked hard on social media to drum up support and assure a solid turnout. The final result looked like a stalemate — an outcome that significantly raises tensions in Brazil’s long-running political crisis, but gives neither side a definitive advantage. Here are five reasons why:
First, Bolsonaro succeeded in convincing around 150,000 Brazilians to listen to him in Brasília in the morning, and approximately 125,000 Brazilians to join him on Avenida Paulista in the afternoon. While organizers had promised higher numbers, it was still no small feat. Tuesday was a public holiday and came in the midst of a severe crisis shaped by increasing inflation, unemployment and a growing perception that economic recovery is unlikely to take place anytime soon. These are the factors that have dragged Bolsonaro’s popularity to its lowest level on records. But remarkably, Bolsonaro did not address any of these challenges in his speeches on Tuesday, …
Read full article here
