The Brazilian Left, like the Left anywhere else in the world, never lets a good crisis go to waste. According to this report by José Atento, the ramped-up push to damage President Jair Bolsonaro during the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis is similar to what is being attempted against Donald Trump in the USA.
The continuous effort of the Brazilian establishment to overthrow President Bolsonaro has reached its maximum level
by José Atento
Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil in November of 2018 because for most Brazilians he personified the opposition to many of the issues plaguing Brazil and Brazilians. First, the rampant corruption, notably from the leadership of the Labour Party (herein referred to as PT), which ruled Brazil for sixteen years. Secondly, the precarious situation of the Brazilian economy. PT squandered the economy. When PT rose to power in early 2000s, Brazil was a leading member of the BRICS. When PT left power, Brazil was basically bankrupt. Socialists are good at squandering economies.
Bolsonaro is anti-establishment, and in Brazil the establishment is predominantly of the Left. Bolsonaro spoke the language of the people, who are mostly nationalistic and Christian, disagree with gender ideology, are against abortion, and oppose big government, i.e., are against the flags of the Left.
Bolsonaro is also anti-Socialist and against the South American Socialist alliance known as São Paulo Forum, which has the participation of former and current leaders such as Lula (Brazil), Chavez/Maduro (Venezuela), Morales (Bolivia) and Cristina Kirchner (Argentina).
Bolsonaro showed his independence when he selected his ministers based on competence, not on political arrangements. Among his ministers two would represent the fight against corruption and for economic recovery. Sergio Moro (Justice Minister), the judge who led the Operation Car Wash, which put into jail powerful politicians and entrepreneurs, including former president Lula. And, Paulo Guedes (Finance Minister), a renowned economist from the Chicago School, with the intention of developing the economy towards free market.
By building a team of technical ministers, Bolsonaro angered a large group of politicians (from several parties) known as Centrão, which means roughly, Big Center. This group is not really in the center of the political spectrum, but they are known by their appetite for bargaining with the government, approving projects proposed by the government in the exchange for electoral gains. They did that during the PT government, and, as a consequence, several members of the Centrão are accused of corruption but, as members of parliament, they have “parliamentary immunity.” Both houses of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, are controlled by the Centrão. Unable to sell its support, the Centrão suffers from something similar to what a drug addict in withdrawal experiences.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Dep. Rodrigo Maia, has been slowly undermining the government by delaying the consideration of projects and decrees signed by Bolsonaro to the point of letting them expire. Similar action has been undertaken by the president of the Senate, Sen. Davi Alcolumbre. Both are from the Centrão.
Other sources of opposition are the left-leaning media (such as Folha de São Paulo and the all-powerful Globo TV) and the Supreme Court (STF), whose judges were nominated by socialist governments. The current president of the Supreme Court, Dias Tófolli, is a former PT lawyer. It is important to add that the governors of the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, both targeting the 2022 presidential elections, would love to see Bolsonaro’s chances for re-election decrease.
Bolsonaro is also the target of relentless attacks by the international media. His anti-socialist stance puts him at odds with the likes of The Guardian, El Pais, the BBC, CBC, ABC, CNN, and other left-leaning globalist media powerhouses, who waste no time before throwing mud at him.
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