How Violent Political Crisis In Brazil Weakening Democracies? Editorial Analysis

Brazil, a relatively young democracy, has a not so distant violent past and its leaders should not entertain any kind of threat to its democratic stability.

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How Violent Political Crisis In Brazil Weakening Democracies?: Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro invade the National Congress in Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023. While he was in power he encouraged distrust in political institutions, advocating the closure of Congress and attacking the Supreme Court – two of the institutions targeted by demonstrators. This way, Violent Political Crisis like one which is happening at present in Brazil are weakening Democracies across the world.

Context

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern on the riots in Brazil and extended support to government authorities, underlining that “democratic traditions must be respected by everyone”.
Pope Francis has also voiced his concern about the “weakening of democracy” in many parts of the world, including Brazil.

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What Is Happening In Brazil?

January 08 violence in Brazil comes after left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated the far-right incumbent Bolsonaro in Brazil’s elections in October.

Background

Well before he was defeated by Luiz In ácio Lula da Silva in last year’s presidential elections in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro had repeatedly said that if he failed to get reelected, it could only be through fraud.
He called his political rivals “thieves” and warned of violence if voted out. After his election defeat, he refused to concede publicly.

What Happened on January 08, 2022?

Two days ahead of Lula’s inauguration on January 1, he left Brazil for Florida, while his supporters continued to stage camped protests outside Brasilia’s Army head quarters.
Unsurprisingly, a week after Lula was inaugurated, thousands of Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the institutional trinity of Brazil democracy — the presidential palace, the Su preme Court and Congress — saying the election was stolen and demanding that the military shut down Lula’s government.

Is Bolsonaro Responsible for Violence?

While in power, he had ﬂirted with the anti institution, conspiracy peddling far right fringes of Brazilian polity.
Mr. Bolsonaro, a fan of the military dictatorship, had little respect for the country’s institutions.
His silence, along with support from Brazil’s wealthy classes, seems to have empowered the protesters to invade state institutions.

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Where Is The democracy in Brazil Heading?

Undoubtedly, Brazil has been at a crossroads, as President Jair Bolsonaro has threatened democratic rule in Brazil by attempting to undermine trust in the electoral system, free speech, and judicial independence.
The Bolsonaro presidency saw the country backslide on democracy, as trust in institutions eroded under attack from the president himself and through corruptions scandals.
And close to half of the country voted for him despite his record of undermining democracy.
But the election of Lula seems to indicate that even more want to rebuild democratic institutions in the country after four years of attack from Bolsonaro.

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Did You Know

Brazil, like India, is part of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), a political grouping that seeks to challenge unipolarity. Hence what happens to Brazil’s democracy is of concern to us.
Its land area is 2.59 times as big as India. It has a population of 213 million versus India’s 1.34 billion.
Its GDP is half of India’s at 1.61 T versus 3.17 T; it has an average income of $7,720 against India’s $2,170.
And its unemployment rate of 14.4% compares with India’s 6%.
It is a multi-party democracy, has an active print and electronic media, a vibrant civil society, and a social media that plays a powerful role in driving, perhaps determining, election outcomes.
Further, Brazil has a large middle class, a highly skilled elite, a huge number of poor people and, finally, a significant diaspora.
These facts and features have democratic consequences.

What Next?

For its own political stability, Brazil should put an end to this election related crisis. Until now, its institutions have dealt with threats from the fringe groups with maturity.
But Brazil, a relatively young democracy, has a not so distant violent past and its leaders should not entertain any kind of threat to its democratic stability.
Brazil should get to the bottom of the riots through a thorough probe; bring all the culprits, from the instigators and the ﬁnanciers to the participants, to justice; and make sure that such an incident does not occur again.
Meanwhile, the least Mr. Bolsonaro could do, pending probe, is to publicly concede that he was defeated in the elections, and ask his supporters to accept this fact and respect the country’s Constitution.

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FAQs

What Is The Reason of Jan. 08, 2023 Violence in Brazil?

January 08 violence in Brazil comes after left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated the far-right incumbent Bolsonaro in Brazil’s elections in October.

Is Brazil a part of BRICS?

Brazil, like India, is part of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), a political grouping that seeks to challenge unipolarity. Hence what happens to Brazil’s democracy is of concern to us.