INTERNATIONAL WARNINGS GROW OVER THREAT TO DEMOCRACY IN BRAZIL

Sat 01 October 2022:

International warnings about efforts to “subvert democracy” in Brazil are growing, just days before voters head to the polls for a presidential election that has deepened divisions in the South American nation.

Right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has suggested that he may reject the results if he loses, as most opinion polls have shown him trailing his left-wing rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The US Senate late on Wednesday passed a resolution backing a free election in Brazil and denouncing “efforts to incite political violence and undermine the electoral process”.

The symbolic measure, adopted unanimously, calls on the United States government to “immediately” recognise the outcome of the October 2 vote if it is determined to be fair by international observers.

It also urges the Biden administration to “review and reconsider the relationship between the United States [and] any government that comes to power in Brazil through undemocratic means, including a military coup”.

“It would be unacceptable for the United States to recognize a government that came to power undemocratically, and it would send a horrific message to the entire world,” Sanders said in a statement.

“It is important for the people of Brazil to know we’re on their side, on the side of democracy.”

This week, dozens of European lawmakers also urged the EU to “take additional steps to make it unequivocally clear to President Bolsonaro and his government that Brazil’s constitution must be respected and attempts to subvert the rules of democracy are unacceptable”.

On Sunday there are elections in Brazil! Bolsonaro has repeatedly & without reason attacked the electronic voting system. Together with my colleagues, I am calling on EC-President @vonderleyen & HR @JosepBorrellF to monitor the situation & support democratic institutions in 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/tcoyxCJLck

— Anna Cavazzini (@anna_cavazzini) September 28, 2022

 

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the parliamentarians said it was “crucial” to dissuade Brazil’s military leadership from supporting “a coup”.

Brazil was under authoritarian military rule from 1964 to 1985, and Bolsonaro – a former army captain – has expressed admiration for the former regime, which has been described as a “brutal dictatorship” by rights groups.

“The EU should state that it will use different levers, including trade, to defend Brazil’s democracy and human rights,” the European lawmakers said.

With nearly 215 million people, Brazil is the second-most populous country in the Western Hemisphere after the US.

It is home to huge parts of the Amazon rainforest, frequently called “the lungs of the planet”, which has been under increased threats of deforestation.