Former heads of the Brazilian Army and Air Force confirm that Bolsonaro proposed to them to carry out a coup

59

Two of the three members of Brazil’s military leadership whom then-president Jair Bolsonaro tried to convince at the end of 2022 to accompany him in a coup d’état have refused. General Marco Antonio Freire Gomes, the former commander of the Army, and Carlos Baptista, former head of the Air Force, confirmed in recent police interrogations that Bolsonaro summoned them on multiple occasions and proposed various legal measures to block the path of the winner of the elections, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from returning to the Presidency.

The testimonies of these generals were revealed when the investigating judge in the case against Bolsonaro for coup plotting lifted part of the summary’s secrecy. This is the first time that Bolsonaro has been directly accused of participating in a conspiracy to ignore electoral results and promote a constitutional break.

Both General Freire Gomes and General Baptista opposed Bolsonaro’s plans, with Freire Gomes even telling the then-head of state that he would arrest him if he continued with his attempts to “attack the democratic regime.” In contrast, the head of the Navy sided with Bolsonaro’s attempt.

These revelations further complicate Bolsonaro’s legal situation, as he already faces multiple cases against him. Bolsonaro maintains his innocence in the face of these accusations.

The generals were interrogated as part of the investigation into the assault on the institutional heart of the country in Brasilia on January 8, 2023, a week after Lula took office as president. The Federal Police had previously accused Bolsonaro of writing a decree to annul the elections, and the judge has restricted his movements and confiscated his passport.

The testimony of Generals Freire Gomes and Baptista aligns with the confession of Bolsonaro’s private secretary, Lieutenant Mauro Cid, who implicated his former boss and numerous collaborators, including several generals and former ministers.

Bolsonaro had presented various legal instruments to military leadership and the Minister of Defense in an attempt to prevent Lula’s inauguration as president. Despite losing the election by a narrow margin, Bolsonaro raised the possibility of decreeing a state of siege. Lula assumed office on January 1, 2023, after a campaign marked by Bolsonaro’s attacks on the security of electronic ballot boxes.

Following his defeat, Bolsonaro’s supporters camped outside barracks across Brazil demanding military intervention, despite no evidence of election fraud. Bolsonaro, now disqualified from running in elections until 2030, continues to rally support and insists that without tanks in the streets or weapons, no coup is worth it.