In a recent turn of events that reads like a political thriller, Brazil’s embattled former President Jair Bolsonaro and his close allies face allegations of orchestrating a coup to undermine the democratic foundations of Latin America’s largest nation. Amid the unfolding drama, a behind-the-scenes intervention by the United States may have tipped the scales in favor of democracy.
Brazil’s federal police have swooped in on Bolsonaro and over ten of his allies, including high-ranking military figures, in a raid that unveiled plans for a coup following Bolsonaro’s failed reelection attempt in 2022. Court documents intimate that Bolsonaro took an active role in editing a decree to overturn the election results and even imprisoned a Supreme Court justice. A general, faithful to Bolsonaro, confirmed he would support the coup with troops. Bolsonaro is now compelled to hand over his passport and might face decades of imprisonment if convicted.
This narrative took an unexpected turn, revealing the extent of United States’ involvement in preventing the coup. Interviews with Brazilian policymakers and experts, corroborated by Brazilian and international media reports, disclose that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration played a pivotal role in averting this threat to Brazil’s democracy. Notably, a concerted effort by U.S. officials to apply pressure on key Brazilian figures was fundamental to maintaining the peaceful transition of power after the 2022 presidential election.
The federal police stated that the suspects were accused of involvement in “a criminal organisation that acted in an attempted coup d’etat” aimed at “keeping the then-President of the Republic in power”.
The alleged coup plot involved disseminating disinformation about Brazil’s electoral system and gained traction due to the complicity of several Brazilian generals who refused to commit to respecting the electoral results.
In a statement, federal police said the operation, authorized by the supreme court, was investigating “a criminal organisation that attempted a coup d’état and the abolition of the democratic state of law, to obtain advantages of a political nature by maintaining the then-president of the republic in power”. According to the police, the group disseminated disinformation about fraud in the 2022 elections before the vote took place “as a way of making a military intervention viable and legitimate”.
Relevant articles:
– Bolsonaro Coup Plans: U.S. Pressure Campaign Kept Brazil’s Generals at Bay
– Brazil police seize Jair Bolsonaro’s passport amid ‘coup’ probe, Al Jazeera English, Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT
– Bolsonaro mum during police questioning over Brazil ‘coup’, Yahoo Singapore News, Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT
– Jair Bolsonaro surrenders passport in coup attempt investigation, The Guardian, Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT