Our democracy survived thanks to Moraes and the military – 06/19/2023 – Joel Pinheiro da Fonseca

Our democracy was barely overthrown. It wouldn’t take much; just that some actors made the wrong decision in some decisive moments. One of those responsible for still having a democracy —albeit a flawed one— is Alexandre de Moraes, for his actions on election day and the day after.

The PRF carried out selective blockades on the highways that could harm the votes for Lula. Once the scheme was discovered, Moraes quickly ordered that the highways be unblocked, in addition to calming public opinion. But the risk did not end there: the PT filed a request to extend the voting time.

If Moraes had allowed this, we would have fallen into a legal and institutional quagmire, the outcome of which would have been unpredictable. The day after the election, it was Moraes once again who ordered the PRF —now so passive— to clear the highways blocked by Bolsonarist truck drivers who were trying to blackmail the country.

But the threats to democracy did not stop there. With the defeat at the polls, thousands of voters organized themselves to ask for a coup in front of the barracks. And now we know, everyone around the ex-president started plotting coup plots.

With the revelation of Mauro Cid’s WhatsApp conversations with several advisers and military personnel, we have one more element. According to Cid, Bolsonaro knew about the coup plan.

Charged by Colonel Jean Lawand Jr. on why Bolsonaro did not act, giving the order to the Armed Forces, Cid replies: “But the PR cannot give an order (sic)… if he does not trust the ACe [Alto Comando do Exército]”. That is, Bolsonaro only did not carry out the coup because he feared that the Army High Command would not embark on the adventure.

In the conversation between the two, Lawand still assures Cid that, if the High Command didn’t want it, certainly the lower ranking officers would agree. Even without the Armed Forces, there was still hope that “the people” could carry out the coup for the president.

It seems to have been a desperate attempt at that last version we saw on January 8th. A few thousand fanatics invaded the Three Powers in the hope that this would provoke the Armed Forces to enter the scene and, finally, deliver the long-awaited coup.

But the Armed Forces did not move. Therefore, whether or not we sympathize with our generals, we must recognize that it is also thanks to them that our democracy is still standing.

Much has been speculated about the reasons that led the generals of the High Command of the Army not to embark on the coup. On the one hand, it can be a real appreciation for democracy. Alternatively, the generals may not have embarked out of pure self-indulgence.

Significant participants in civil society —businessmen, lawyers, bankers— had already made it clear that they would respect the outcome of the polls at the event in Largo São Francisco. The American government had also already expressed itself in the clearest possible way. Life for scammers would not be easy.

In any case, if the High Command took the stand —at least in the version reported by Mauro Cid— our democracy would have fallen. There was nothing anyone else could do to stop them.

Even with these mishaps, we are here. Our democracy survived. That threat was defeated. The lessons that remain are the fragility of democracy, always besieged by new threats that need to be taken seriously, and, I hope, the determination to sweep all those who participated, by words, acts and omissions, far away from national public life.

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