Bolsonaro’s Indictment Tests Democracy in the Region

Photo by Michelle Guimarães from Pexels.

After losing the 2022 presidential election to current President Lula da Silva, former Brazilian President Bolsonaro has been indicted with a scheme that threatens Brazil’s democracy. The plan included annulling the vote, dissolving the judicial system, strengthening the military, and even assassinating President Lula da Silva. The Attorney General indicted 33 other individuals, some of which included high-ranking government members, like the defense minister and national security advisor. 

Brazil’s democratic peril—evidenced by Bolsaro’s plans, claims, and his supporters who stormed government buildings in Brasilia in 2023—is reminiscent of Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 after Joe Biden had won the election. In fact, Bolsonaro claims that the judicial system is being weaponized, another parallel between Bolsonaro’s politics and Trump. There is a fear that Trump might attempt to exert influence in Brazil in favor of Bolsonaro. 

With the charges filed, what comes next is up to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes (who was also targeted in Bolsonaro’s scheme), as he will weigh the strength of the arguments to determine if the case will move onto a trial. Should this case move to trial, it is expected to be lengthy. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face a sentence that could last decades. 

Brazil’s democracy, which until this point had remained relatively strong after a dictatorship from 1964-1985, is once again under threat. The indictment, a fierce political divide between Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro’s supporters, and next October’s general elections (elections in which Bolsonaro cannot legally participate in) delicately position the democracy in one of the most influential countries in Latin America. Bolsonaro, Trump, Mieli (Argentina), Maduro (Venezuela), Ortega (Nicaragua), and Bukele (El Salvador) all represent right-wing populism, to varying extents, and some also represent complete democratic backsliding. Only time will tell if democracy in the Americas will be upheld, or if Brazil’s democracy will erode like many other countries in recent years.