On Saturday, anti-government protests swept through Brazil, demanding the impeachment of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, whose reputation has plummeted, and he is facing corruption charges related to the new crown pandemic.
For the fourth consecutive week, demonstrators gathered at the call of left-wing political parties and labor unions to call for the removal of the right-wing president and to investigate his alleged ignorance of embezzlement of public funds for the purchase of the new crown vaccine.
Protesters in 20 of Brazil’s 26 states took to the streets, holding placards depicting Bolsonaro as a demon, with the slogan “Genocide” written in Portuguese, and stressing that they would not leave the streets. Unless Bolsonaro leaves the position he usurped.”
In Rio de Janeiro, like everywhere else, thousands of protesters marched in red clothes and masks. The slogans they shouted included “Get out, you corrupt criminal” and “No one can stand it anymore.”
The demonstrators condemned Brazil’s late start of vaccination campaigns and “mass unemployment”, and demanded more assistance for the poor facing the pandemic.
During Bolsonaro’s presidency, the pandemic resulted in the death of more than 500,000 Brazilians. Bolsonaro was widely criticized for questioning the severity of the new crown pneumonia, opposing wearing masks and adopting social distancing measures.
The Brazilian president is suspected of ignoring corruption reported by employees of the Ministry of Health. When the employee appeared in front of the Senate’s investigative committee, he said that he was under “extreme pressure” to approve the contract to import the Covaxin vaccine from India. He believed that the cost of the vaccine was exaggerated.
The Brazilian Public Prosecutor’s Office announced a preliminary investigation into the accusations made by three senators against the head of state. The three senators claimed that Bolsonaro “violated the duties of the President” in this case.
On June 30, the opposition submitted to the Brazilian Congress a document containing 20 charges to impeach the president, but Bolsonaro still had enough support in the Congress to prevent the opposition from impeaching him smoothly.
A few days ago, it was reported that Brazil’s Ministry of National Defense informed the Congress’ leadership that if the country’s electronic voting system is not modified to ensure the accuracy of each vote, next year’s election will not be held.
Bolsonaro is experiencing the worst presidency since he took office in 2019. His approval rating has dropped to 24%. However, he is seeking re-election in the fierce competition in the presidential election next year. During this period, he is expected to face his The main political opponent and the former left-wing president of the Workers’ Party who supported the protests, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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