A week after thousands of Bolsonaristas stormed the headquarters of the three-power state of Brazil, polls show the resounding failure of their mission. Is that, according to the most recent polls, its performance has caught up strengthen the image of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvabut also delved into the discrediting of Jair Bolsonaro.
According to a survey conducted by the Datafolha company93% of Brazilians repudiate the attacks and 55% believe that Bolsonaro had some degree of responsibility.
“The events (of January 8) had the opposite effect” of what was sought, Mayra Goulart, professor of political science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), told AFP.
A climate of national unity
“Lula came out stronger. There are a climate of national unity in defense of democracy,” he says.
A week after Lula assumed the presidency in a ceremony that combined institutional glitz with popular celebration, a crowd of supporters of his predecessor, the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, invaded and looted the presidential palace, Congress and the federal Supreme Courtdissatisfied with the former union leader’s electoral victory.
The images of the attack immediately gave way to another powerful image: Lula and the heads of the Legislative and Judicial powers descend the ramp that connects the Planalto palace, the presidential headquarters, and the Plaza de los Tres Poderes.
Together they reiterated that the The young Brazilian democracy will not be defeatedalmost four decades after the end of the military dictatorship.
The flashback
Abroad the the condemnation was unanimous. Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Brussels and the capitals of Latin America have unanimously expressed their support for the president of Brazil, a country that Bolsonaro has isolated from the world.
“The international turmoil strengthens Lula’s position, who will be perceived as an important leader working to strengthen multilateral forums,” says Mayra Goulart.
Leandro Gabiati, of the Dominium consultancy firm, also believes this Lula’s image abroad has been “strengthened” for giving a firm but balanced response after the attacks.
Bolsonaro’s, however, got worse.
Internally, Lula got “unanimous consensus” of the entire political class and the financial sector, To add. Also of the Brazilian population, which in its vast majority has remained shocked for images of violence against institutions.
“Lula was tested and so far it’s been pretty good“, estimates Gabiati, for which the president has shown a “considered position” which in some way made it possible “to restore normality”.
Amidst broken glass and furniture, Lula’s ministers packed their bags during official ceremonies in which they spoke of a “coup” and warned that The government will not give in.
The attackers, who the government says have committed acts of “terrorism,” face off sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
While the authorities close the siege around the financiers and organizers of the coup, the security forces are preparing for a reorganization and the Bolsonarists will be expelled from the surveillance team of the presidential palace.
In a few days, about 2,000 people were arrestedof which more than a thousand are still incarcerated.
“Lula will have to take exemplary sanctions, to prevent acts of this type from happening again,” said Gabiati.
A fragile truce
But there is no guarantee that this national unity will last. Indeed Lula he chose not to leave the country while the investigations into the coup plotters continue and the ministers of the Economy, Fernando Haddad, and of the Environment, Marina Silva, are sent to the Economic Forum in Davos -Switzerland.
The Ministry of Finance has indicated that after the violent events in Brasilia, greater interest has been generated by the presence of the South American giant in this forum, which intends to demonstrate that the attack on the institutions of 8 January “it went down in history” and stay focused on the economic recovery.
Nor will he go to Davos, as originally planned, the vice president, Geraldo Alckminwho will also stay in Brazil checking the latest details and names from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce, which he heads, detailed the Metropoles news portal.
The government of Brazil expects President Lula to resume his international agenda next week with a first trip to Argentina, where on 23 January he will meet President Alberto Fernández and participate in the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Already for February, the intention is visit the white house and in April Portugal.
China is the other country where its arrival is expected in the first half of 2023.
Lula will still have the difficult task of heal a country of strong divisionsdeepened after a bitter election campaign filled with disinformation.
The most radical elements of the Bolsonaro movement, determined a go on a crusade against “communism”the “corrupt” Lula and the electoral system show no sign of wavering.
Bolsonarism is still there
“The movement is still there and probably we can expect some sort of disorder low intensity, protests and some kind of violence,” said Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue.
“I don’t think he’s going to go away.”
For Eurasia, the events of January 8 “are a stark reminder that Lula is facing a deeply polarized country.”
The idol of the Latin American left won the presidential elections on the line: he obtained 60 million votes against Bolsonaro’s 58 million.
A few days after taking office, the government must “expend energy on investigating the putschists,” said Goulart. But which “cannot contaminate” its goals of fighting urgent problems, such as hunger and povertyof the first Latin American economy.
Source: Agencies
ap
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.