University of São Paulo: Immediate response from Brazilian democracy has had favorable repercussions abroad

The invasion and depredation of the Planalto Palace, the National Congress and the Federal Supreme Court, on January 8, in Brasília, had repercussions on national and international soil. The material damage was enormous, with the destruction of paintings, windows, furniture and historical objects, but the symbolic value of the coup acts also marks a threat to Brazilian democracy. The attacks on the buildings of the Three Powers had political, financial and ideological stimuli, in a scene never seen before in the history of the Country. In response, the federal government decreed federal intervention in public security in the Federal District (DF) and Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF, removed Ibaneis Rocha from the position of governor of the DF.

“From one hour to the next the world found itself perplexed in front of a picture that fell apart. Democracy began to be in crisis, the environmental situation deteriorated immensely, Brazil isolated itself from the world”, comments Professor Pedro Dallari, from USP’s Institute of International Relations and member of the University’s Human Rights Commission.

Impact
Dallari states that dealing with these acts is a great test for the elected government, especially in taking immediate measures. In addition to the Brazilian movement, the positioning of world leaders such as Presidents Emmanuel Macron, of France, and Joe Biden, of the United States, is fundamental for combating threats to the democratic regime. “On the very day of President Lula’s election, there was already a manifestation of recognition of his electoral victory by important leaders of relevant countries in the world. They endorsed the Brazilian electoral process, declaring support for it, which they considered absolutely lawful and well carried out. Now, with the criminal events of the 8th, they have also returned to express themselves emphatically in favor of the Brazilian government and the defense of democracy.


Pedro Dallari – Photo: Marcos Santos/ USP Images
There is great concern about the repercussions of acts like those that took place in Brasília due to the Brazilian representation in the matter, as Dallari adds: “The concern is that this could have an impact, I would say not only in Latin America, but from a global point of view, by the symbolism of Brazil. It was a country that, almost since the redemocratization, was seen as a great reference in the world, consolidating democracy, advancing from the point of view of economic integration and preservation of the environment”.

Democracy
The invasion of the Capitol, the US legislative center, by supporters of Donald Trump, who was president at the time, on January 6, 2021 is similar to the invasion of the Three Powers. “This similarity is indisputable and therefore it is perfectly reasonable that people would want to identify some parallelism. Now, there is a difference that I think is fundamental and that makes the situation in Brazil more serious than that of the United States. Although there was this action in the US, the main institutions remained on the side of democracy all the time: at no time did the US Armed Forces or security forces hesitate in defending democracy and gave any kind of support to that insane adventure. This did not happen in Brazil, unfortunately. This raises a lot of concern, because they are indispensable structures for the State and it is fundamental that they, in no way, conspire against democracy”, explains Dallari. There is a lot of concern about the issue of the Armed Forces, since they are indispensable structures.

The professor comments on some necessary points for the resumption of Brazilian democracy, both in its national and international character: “What will effectively consolidate the new government and show the vitality of Brazilian democracy will be the realization of a dynamic, active and internationally integrated government, that manages to have an inclusive economic policy. Anyway, this return of Brazil to the multilateralism that had been put in the background in the Bolsonaro government is a very important fact and that is how we are going to overcome this situation of crisis: so that the Brazilian population itself has the security that there is a government that is acting in your best interest,” he adds.

Lack of quick and effective response
José Álvaro Moisés, professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) and director of the USP Public Policy Research Center (NUPPs), also commented on the episode on the 8th. security guards were warned of the possibility of coup acts on Sunday (8): “Evidently, the government of the Federal District had information about what was being programmed and a part of the federal government also knew”, he says when explaining that the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, sent a letter to Ibaneis Rocha warning about the risk of violence in the demonstrations.

“Why wasn’t there more explicit and duly adequate mobilization of both the Military Police of the Federal District and also the Armed Forces, who were aware of what was happening?”, asks the professor. He suggests that the authorities, especially the Armed Forces, were aware of the coup articulation that spawned in the camps in front of the headquarters.

In addition to the depredation of historical heritage and the destruction of important symbols of the Brazilian government and society, Moisés points out that the terrorists’ primary intention was a coup attempt. “It is clear that what happened in relation to the elected government was an attempt to undermine a decision of the Brazilian electorate, to destroy a sovereign decision of the Brazilian voters, who elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva”, he elaborates.

Challenges for the Lula government
Both in his first speech after the result of the 2022 presidential elections and in his speech to the Nation, at the Planalto Palace, Lula highlighted that he would govern for everyone. This is the government’s first major challenge, according to Professor Moisés. “The very demonstration that the government made, in its main objective, is to pacify the country and, in some way, govern even for the segments that voted for Bolsonaro”, he recalls. In the context of ideological polarization and political violence, the challenge is one of pacification.


The authorities, especially the Armed Forces, were aware of the coup articulation that fertilized in the camps in front of the headquarters – Photo: Marcos Corrêa/PR via Flickr
A second point raised by him is to maintain the continuity of the broad front raised during the general elections, but, this time, in defense of democracy and effective functioning of the government. “President Lula was elected not only by leftist parties, but by many liberal democratic segments. The government has to have effective conditions to be able to develop its plans”, he says on issues of economic recovery, job creation and facing social inequalities. In contrast, the recent elections showed a strengthening of the conservative wing of Congress, a “tense framework” for the upcoming negotiations.

With regard to conversations with this group, the professor evaluates: “I think the government has already given enough demonstrations that it has a position of dialogue with the opposition forces”. The Transition PEC, which allowed for an increase in the spending ceiling to fund social policy expenses, was a demonstration of the political articulation carried out by the Lula government, in the view of the NUPPs director.

With a right-wing Congress, including far-right segments supported by Bolsonaro, the professor points out that the context will change. “The big issue I see is getting these parties (MDB, União Brasil and PSD) to remain in support of the government base in order to be able to face the opposition”, he adds, mentioning the parties that did not directly support Lula’s presidential campaign in last year’s elections.

reframed
The professor concludes that, through conciliation, the beginning of the Lula government is an opportunity to rebuild the relationship between the government and the opposition. “It has to be demonstrated to society that there is a willingness to dialogue and understanding in terms of the great national objectives. And that presupposes persuasion on the part of the government”, he develops. After the invasion of the Three Powers, relations with the opposition must also go through explanations to the population, according to him: “How far does your agreement go, how far does your understanding go, and where are there legitimate disagreements?”, question.