Lula dismisses Army commander after confidence crisis – 01/21/2023 – Politics

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) dismissed the commander of the Army, General Júlio Cesar de Arruda, in the midst of an open crisis of confidence following the January 8 attacks in Brasília. The decision was communicated to the military this Saturday (21).

The new head of the Force is the current military commander for the Southeast (responsible for São Paulo), General Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva. This week, he had made an incisive speech in defense of institutionality, asking for respect for the results of the elections and affirming the Army as non-political and non-partisan.

Tomás, as he is called, had already been quoted for the position, but some PT members feared that his great ability to articulate would make him an independent force, just as Eduardo Villas Bôas was when chosen by Dilma Rousseff (PT) at the end of 2014 —the ex-commander was the architect of the return of the fardados to politics.

In addition, the general is in the natural line of succession, being the oldest four-star holder of the High Command, alongside Valerio Strumpf.

Arruda had been appointed to the command of Força on December 28, before Lula’s inauguration as president. He had been chosen based on seniority by the Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro.

According to the president’s assistants, the decision was taken because Arruda showed no willingness to take immediate measures to reduce Lula’s distrust of Army soldiers after the invasion of the Planalto Palace and the headquarters of the STF (Federal Supreme Court) and Congress. .

The dismissal has the potential to exacerbate tensions between Lula and the command of the Armed Forces. The government supporters claim, however, that Arruda’s departure is necessary for Lula to exercise his authority as president.

After the attacks on Praça dos Três Poderes, Lula publicly expressed his distrust of the Armed Forces, in criticism directed specifically at the Army.

On the 12th, he stated that “many people from the Armed Forces” inside the Planalto Palace were colluding with the invasion. “I am convinced that the door of the Planalto Palace was opened for these people to enter because I did not see the broken entry door,” he said. Lula’s statements provoked negative reactions within the Force.

The Army High Command, made up of top generals, met this Saturday to discuss the dismissal.

Lula fulfills his agenda this Saturday in Roraima to announce actions against a health crisis in Yanomami lands. He should return to Brasilia at the end of the day.

On Friday (20), the president met with Arruda and the commanders of the Navy, Marcos Sampaio Olsen, and of the Air Force, Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno. The meeting was articulated by Múcio as a way to reduce tensions at the beginning of his government.

The meeting, however, was not enough to “turn the page” in the relationship, as the Minister of Defense intended. The conversation focused on strategic projects and investment plans for the Armed Forces. Directors of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo were invited by Lula to participate in the meeting.

In the days leading up to the meeting, Lula told aides that he expected an energetic measure against the military who would have been colluding with the attack on Praça dos Três Poderes, on the 8th. The signaling would include a punishment applied to these individuals by the Armed Forces themselves.

One of the hottest points of tension was the head of the Presidential Guard Battalion, responsible for security at the Planalto Palace. Lula demanded that the troop commander be changed, but the Army defended removing him only after an investigation could prove that he had facilitated the invasion of the building.

The government also demands a clear change in the position of the military in the face of possible threats of protests in front of the barracks. At this point, there are signs of convergence: the military’s determination is to prevent new occupations.

Lula’s allies who form a bridge with the military claim that the new government managed to improve relations with the Navy and Air Force. The Army, on the other hand, was seen as a problem — which was marked by Arruda’s dismissal.