Bolsonaro cornered in Paulista is a new chapter of setbacks – 02/26/2024 – Power

Cornered in the face of investigations surrounding a coup plot, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) gathered thousands of supporters this Sunday (25) on Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo, and gave a speech in which he demonstrated his well-known aggressiveness against the STF (Supreme Federal Court), said he sought the pacification of the country and asked for amnesty for those arrested for the coup attack on January 8, 2023.

The former president had also asked his supporters not to carry posters and banners attacking opponents, especially the STF, which he did during the demonstration. There were also no coup cries from the public, such as “I authorize”, raised on September 7, 2021 in reference to a possible rupture between the Powers.

This was not the first time that Bolsonaro took a step back when cornered. Remember three other recent moments:

‘No intention to attack’

Two days after attacking the STF with coup threats at the 7th of September event, Bolsonaro released a note in which he retreated, stated that he had “no intention of attacking any of the Powers” and attributed previous “sharp” words to the “heat of the moment” .

“I never had any intention of attacking any of the Powers. Harmony between them is not my will, but a constitutional determination that everyone, without exception, must respect,” he stated.

At the time, the president’s change of tone after repeatedly insulting members of the court displeased Bolsonaro groups, was praised by the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber, but viewed with skepticism by the magistrates.

Hours after releasing it, Bolsonaro used his weekly live to try to justify himself to supporters, saying there was “nothing big” in the note, and again questioned the electronic voting machines and provoked the STF minister and then president of the TSE ( Superior Electoral Court), Luís Roberto Barroso.

Bolsonaro had spent the previous two months with repeated attacks on the STF and insults at some of his ministers as a strategy to summon his supporters to the events of September 7th, when he repeated the attacks and made a series of threats to the court and its members.

‘There is no reason to doubt electronic voting’

Still in September 2021, when he was politically isolated and low in polls regarding his government’s assessment and the 2022 electoral race, Bolsonaro told Veja magazine that there was no chance of attempting a coup in the country.

“From now on, the chance of a coup is zero. From then on, we see that there is always this possibility,” said the president in the interview.

In the interview with Veja, when talking about the 2022 elections, Bolsonaro said that he will not “melt” the dispute and even praised recent decisions by Barroso, then president of the TSE.

“With the Armed Forces participating, you have no reason to doubt electronic voting. The Armed Forces will pledge their name, there is no reason to doubt it. I even praise Barroso, regarding this idea — as long as the institutions participate in all the phases of the process”, he added.

‘No one who attacks democracy’

In mid-2022, after repeated coup threats and insinuations, Bolsonaro reduced his tone to refer to TSE ministers and the elections. The message went to Minister Edson Fachin, then president of the TSE.

“I don’t know where he is getting this idea that the Armed Forces want to interfere in Electoral Justice,” said Bolsonaro in his weekly broadcast on social media.

“There is no interference, no one wants to impose anything, no one wants to attack the polls, attack democracy, nothing like that. No one is committing undemocratic acts. For the love of God! The transparency of elections, clean, transparent elections, is a matter of national security “, continued.

A day earlier, Bolsonaro had once again questioned the electoral system and said that his government would not accept provocations.