Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right frontrunner to become Brazil’s next president, has promised to “re-democratise” the country, raising fears that he could move toward authoritarian rule if elected. Brazil became a democracy again in the 1980s after a brutal 21-year dictatorship that Flávio’s father, the disgraced former president Jair Bolsonaro, has long praised. Brazil’s presidential race goes to a second round as Flávio Bolsonaro leads incumbent Lula. Last year, Jair Bolsonaro, a former soldier who served under that military regime, was jailed for 27 years for trying to engineer a coup after losing the 2022 election to the current leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. But Flávio, 45, beat Lula, 80, in Sunday’s first round of the presidential election and enters the 25 October run-off as the favourite. On Tuesday, the rightwinger promised to use the far-right’s greatly increased presence in congress after the election to change the constitution and “re-democratise this country.” “The only thing standing in the way of Brazil becoming a barbarity is called Flávio Bolsonaro as president,” he claimed at a campaign event in Goiânia, a city near the capital, Brasília. The inflammatory comments caused outrage among historians and opponents of Bolsonaro’s radical populist movement, who accuse him of co-opting the language of democracy to disguise an illiberal shift. View image in fullscreen. Flavio Bolsonaro raises hands with former presidential candidate Ronaldo Caiado (left) and Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas during a rally in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. Photograph: Sérgio Lima/AFP/Getty Images. Talíria Petrone, the leftwing congresswoman, wrote on X: “This is the announcement of a coup.” Marcelo Freixo, a newly elected congressman from Lula’s Workers’ party (PT), said: “Brazil was re-democratised in 1988. The person who tried to undo this was his father, who was convicted of an attempted coup. What they want, once again, is a coup.” Bolsonaro did not spell out what he meant by “re-democratising” Brazil, a vibrant if polarised multi-party democracy which the Sweden-based V-Dem institute ranks 28th on its liberal democracy index, two places ahead of the UK and 23 ahead of the US. But Jair Bolsonaro, who has praised authoritarian leaders including Chile’s former dictator Augusto Pinochet, has long hankered for a return to military rule. Last September, the supreme court found Jair Bolsonaro guilty of trying to convince military chiefs to help him cling to power at the end of his 2018-2022 presidency. The conspiracy culminated in the 8 January 2023 riots in Brasília, a far-right insurrection seemingly inspired by the January 6 storming of the US Capitol. Writing in the O Globo newspaper, Míriam Leitão, a prominent political and economic journalist, warned that, if Bolsonaro won, Brazil faced “the extreme and concrete danger of … another coup d’état attempt.” “Flávio follows the same ideas as his father and has already said that an intervention in the institutions is necessary,” Leitão wrote. “If Flávio Bolsonaro is elected, he will have more tools at his disposal to carry out his father’s authoritarian project: robust caucuses in the lower house and senate, a weakened supreme court, and the support of the Donald Trump administration. Political science shows that it’s in the second term that an autocrat doubles down on their plan. Look at the case of Donald Trump. The risk isn’t of the son repeating the father, it’s that he surpasses him,” Leitão said. View image in fullscreen. Supporters of Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro flash victory signs during a rally ahead of the presidential election runoff. Photograph: Adriano Machado/Reuters. Political scientist Miguel Lago said Sunday’s far-right election triumph – in which Bolsonaro’s Liberal party (PL) secured the senate’s largest caWith 28 of its 81 seats, the party could push through radical changes, including impeaching supreme court justices seen as enemies of the Bolsonarismo movement. If Jair Bolsonaro’s son wins, the former president and his jailed co-conspirators are likely to be freed, and Bolsonaro is expected to become an influential minister who could choose the new heads of the armed forces. “It’s better than a coup d’état … it’s almost like a coup d’état with the support of the majority of the population,” Lago said. Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s authoritarian president, has been accused of “killing” democracy by using control over the country’s congress and institutions to approve sweeping constitutional changes, including scrapping presidential term limits so he can seek indefinite re-election. Flávio Bolsonaro recently met Bukele’s security minister, Gustavo Villatoro, in São Paulo, praising the Central American country’s hardline security policies, which have seen thousands jailed during a state of exception that has lasted nearly five years. Bolsonaro told reporters that during their conversation, Villatoro “stressed the importance” of using control of congress to make the “necessary legal changes.” On Tuesday, the president of Bolsonaro’s party, Valdemar Costa Neto, said that if Flávio Bolsonaro became president, he would release his father, who would then be “a strong candidate” in the 2030 presidential election.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the political situation in Brazil involving Flávio Bolsonaro
Beginner Questions
What does the phrase Another Coup mean in this context
It refers to fears that supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro might try to disrupt Brazils democratic government again similar to the riots that happened on January 8 2023
Who is Flávio Bolsonaro
He is a Brazilian Senator and the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro He is a key figure in the rightwing political movement in Brazil
What did Flávio Bolsonaro say
He vowed to redemocratise Brazil This is a controversial statement because critics say it implies the current government is undemocratic and needs to be removed or fixed by force
What does redemocratise mean
Literally it means to make something democratic again However in this political context critics argue it is a code word for returning the Bolsonaro family to power potentially by undemocratic means
Is Brazil currently a democracy
Yes Brazil is a democratic country where citizens vote for their leaders The current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who beat Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 election
Advanced Questions
Why is the term redemocratise considered a dog whistle
Political analysts view the term as a way to delegitimize the current Lula government without openly calling for a military takeover It suggests that the current administration is a dictatorship or illegitimate which justifies extreme actions to restore democracy
What are the specific fears regarding Another Coup
The main fear is a repeat of the January 8 2023 attacks where Bolsonaro supporters stormed Congress the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace Observers worry that Flávios rhetoric could incite similar violence or a military intervention
How does this affect Brazils political stability
It creates deep polarization It puts pressure on the military to choose sides and undermines public trust in the electoral system It also makes it difficult for the government to pass laws because of constant conflict
What legal troubles does Flávio Bolsonaro face
He faces several investigations including allegations of corruption often called rachadin
