It was an unusual deployment of the military in the center of Brasília: Tanks rolled through the Brazilian capital on Tuesday under the eyes of President Jair Bolsonaro. Flanked by several ministers as well as the chiefs of the army, the air force and the navy, the right-wing radical head of state watched as the military vehicles drove past the presidential palace, the congress building and the supreme court.
The official purpose of the ceremony was to present Bolsonaro with an invitation to an annual military exercise that has been taking place near the capital since 1988. Observers pointed out, however, that it was the first time since the return to democracy in Brazil that tanks rolled through the streets in front of the presidential palace and parliament.
They assessed the ten-minute parade as a show of force by the president, who is currently in the sights of the judiciary because of his attacks on the electoral system. Dozens of Bolsonaro supporters attended the parade at the presidential palace, some holding up signs calling for military intervention to “save Brazil”.
A Supreme Court judge last week ordered an investigation into the president for disseminating false information for repeatedly denouncing alleged deficiencies in the electronic voting system. The Supreme Electoral Court is already investigating the suspicion that Bolsonaro is abusing his “economic and political power” to question the legitimacy of the upcoming presidential election.
Bolsonaro had cited the electoral system as a source of manipulation several times in the past without providing evidence. The Supreme Electoral Court sees this as the danger of undermining the election in the coming year. Accordingly, there are also allegations against Bolsonaro for corruption, fraud, abuse of the media and “propaganda”.
According to experts, Bolsonaro’s attacks on the electoral system suggest that given poor poll results, he may be preparing for a defeat in next year’s election and responding to a possible setback with fraud allegations.
The right-wing radical head of state, an ardent supporter of the elected US President Donald Trump, has justified the military dictatorship in Brazil several times in the past. (afp)
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