Bolsonaro: The Rise and Fall of a Far-Right Leader | Profile
June 30, 2023
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Former President Jair Bolsonaro suffered the biggest setback of his long political career this Friday: his eight-year ban for systematically attacking the foundations of Brazilian democracy with “terrible
Former President Jair Bolsonaro suffered the biggest setback of his long political career this Friday: his eight-year ban for systematically attacking the foundations of Brazilian democracy with “terrible lies” according to the electoral justice system.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) ruled by 5 votes in favor and 2 against to convict the leader of the Brazilian far right for abusing political power in the 2022 elections, in which he unsuccessfully tried to stay in power and defeated Luis Inacio. Lula da Silva and deprive him of political rights until 2030.
A 68-year-old retired army captain can only run for elected office or hold positions in public administration at the age of 75.
His desire to run for the 2026 presidential election, as he stated at the trial, has now evaporated, as there is still an appeal to have the sentence overturned.
GOD, COUNTRY, FAMILY AND FREEDOM
Evangelicals, military men, advocates of arms and extreme economic liberalism remained united with Bolsonaro under his motto: “God, country, family and freedom.”
The motto goes back to what was used by the Green Shirts, the fascists who tried to emulate the doctrines of Benito Mussolini in Brazil in the 1930s.
Bolsonaro drew inspiration from his “friend” Donald Trump and is ideologically linked to other ultra-conservative leaders such as the Italian Georgia Meloni, the Hungarian Viktor Orbán, the Chilean José Antonio Cast or the Spaniard Santiago Abascal.
Intuitive hatred of “communism”, rejection of “gender ideology”, lack of commitment to the environment, denial of the covid-19 pandemic, and his unfounded suspicions about the electoral system caused controversy in his mandate (2019-2022).
NOSTALGIA FOR THE DICTATORY
Nostalgic for the dictatorship (1964-1985), the far-right leader applauds and smiles at his followers as they cheer him on by calling for the closure of Parliament and the Supreme Court, demonstrations he defends under free speech.
His post-election silence, without an open acknowledgment of defeat and without placating supporters outside the barracks calling for military intervention to overthrow Lula, was followed by anti-democratic actions on 8 January.
On that day, a week after Lula came to power, thousands of radical Bolsonaro stormed and looted the headquarters of the three powers in Brazil, while Bolsonaro was in the United States, where he went two days before leaving the presidency .
His outbursts and foul language, which he attributes to his direct and spontaneous style, were his style as president and caused repeated quarrels with the press.
On the campaign trail, he said he regretted the controversial language he used during the pandemic, when he began to mimic a gasping person while laughing.
GREAT POLITICAL CAREER
A descendant of Italian migrants, Jair Messias Bolsonaro was born on March 21, 1955 to a modest family in the interior of São Paulo, a key period for understanding his anti-communism.
These were times of dictatorship, and the clashes between the guerrillas and the military that took place in this region will forever be remembered by him.
It was the seed that led him to enroll in the Agulhas Negras Military School in Rio de Janeiro. It was formed in 1977. He joined the paratrooper brigade and rose to the rank of captain.
In 1986, when democracy had already returned, he wrote an explosive article in the press in which he demanded higher wages for this category, almost calling for insubordination. Soon after, he would leave the barracks to start his political career.
He was an adviser to Rio de Janeiro and for almost three decades a deputy to the federal government.
In 2018, he competed in person and won them in the second round after a hike marred by a knife he received from a mentally ill person.
In 2022, he lost re-election to his greatest political opponent, the progressive Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. Today, he is disabled after pushing Brazilian democracy to its extreme.
THIRD PRESIDENT-DISABLED
Jair Bolsonaro this Friday became the third former Brazilian president to be stripped of the right to contest elective office or hold public office after he was found guilty by an electoral court of abuse of power in the 2022 elections.
By making this decision and without exhausting all resources, the 68-year-old far-right leader will not be able to participate in any elections for the next eight years.
The Supreme Electoral Court condemned him by 5 votes in favor and 2 votes against for using his position as head of state (2019-2022) “to degrade the electoral environment” and create a state of “collective paranoia” with “false information”. ‘ and ‘vile lies’.
Bolsonaro thus joins two other former Brazilian heads of state who were also stripped of their political rights at some point after the restoration of democracy in 1985.
The current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has also been declared unfit, but for a different reason.
In 2018, the progressive leader was sentenced in the second instance to 12 years and 1 month in prison in a corruption case.
The verdict placed him under the so-called Clean Files Act, which prevents convicts in the second instance from running for elected office.
The Workers’ Party (PT) tried to nominate him as a presidential candidate in the 2018 election, which Bolsonaro should have won, but an election judge rejected his registration after being convicted in an appeals court.
However, in 2021, the Supreme Court overturned this and another corruption conviction against Lula, a ruling that allowed him to regain his political rights and run in the 2022 presidential election, which he won against Bolsonaro by a narrow margin.
Another disqualified former president was Fernando Collor (1990-1992), who during his tenure was accused of participating in a corruption scheme that prompted Congress to begin an impeachment process against him.
Amid a severe economic crisis, Collor resigned to avoid congressional dismissal and retain his political rights, but despite stepping down as president, the Senate approved his eight-year ban.
In 2006, he ran for the Senate and won a seat from the state of Alagoas.
Last May, the Supreme Court sentenced him to eight years and ten months in prison for corruption and money laundering, and for accepting bribes between 2010 and 2014 when he was a senator.
Collor is awaiting a decision on the appeals submitted by his defense. EFE
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