Lula and the nation’s other ex-presidents expressed concern over Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s military parades and escalating tensions with the judiciary, the newspaper wrote on 22 August.
On 10 August, Bolsonaro paraded armoured vehicles in front of the presidential office and congress as the legislature was set to vote on one of the president’s controversial proposals concerning paper ballots instead of e-voting. The parade was assessed by the opposition as an attempt to intimidate lawmakers and a show of force.
Military officials assured the former heads of state that the 2022 elections would take place as scheduled and the winner would assume power, as Bolsonaro cannot count on the subordination of the Armed Forces. However, some generals raised concerns about a possible maneeuvre with assistance from the Military Police, Estadao reported.
When asked about Bolsonaro’s dispute with the judiciary, former Defence Minister Aldo Rebelo said that such problems should be resolved by civilians, not the military.
Bolsonaro is currently entangled in multiple investigations into his activities as president. Earlier this month, the Brazilian Supreme Court launched a probe into the president’s allegations that Brazil’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud. At the same time, it began investigating Bolsonaro himself over alleged dissemination of fake news. Several days later, the Supreme Court launched an investigation into the release of secret Federal Police documents by Bolsonaro on Twitter in a bid to prove what he believes are the vulnerabilities of Brazil’s long-established e-voting system.
Sputnik News
South Africa Today – World News – Latin America
