On Independence Day, Brazil’s president plans to flaunt his navy ties : NPR

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

It is independence day in Brazil, and the nation’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, plans to make use of at this time’s celebration to flaunt his shut ties to the armed forces. This comes amid rising considerations that Bolsonaro will refuse to go away workplace if he loses subsequent month’s presidential election. For extra, we’re joined by John Otis, who covers Brazil for NPR. John, what’s imagined to occur at this time?

JOHN OTIS, BYLINE: Yeah. Effectively, first, Bolsonaro plans to attend a navy parade in Brasilia, which is the capital, and that is a reasonably regular annual occasion, however then he will do one thing actually out of the peculiar. He will fly right down to Rio de Janeiro, the place he’ll give a speech on the enduring Copacabana Seashore, and that occasion goes to function a naval flotilla, an air present with paratroopers leaping out of plane and likewise cannons which are going to fireplace off a 21-gun salute.

MARTINEZ: So it form of seems like a militarized marketing campaign seaside celebration.

OTIS: Yeah, I imply, it is – what it truly is, is form of a last-ditch marketing campaign stunt. All of the polls in Brazil are displaying Bolsonaro trailing his left-wing rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who’s a former president. So Bolsonaro is making an attempt to do one thing actually dramatic to show the tables and form of reset his marketing campaign. You would possibly evaluate it to former U.S. President Donald Trump utilizing Mount Rushmore as a 4th of July backdrop for his 2020 reelection marketing campaign. Bolsonaro has additionally been busy selling at this time’s occasion in TV spots like this one.

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PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO: (Talking Portuguese).

OTIS: Now, in it, he is urging Brazilians to refill Copacabana Seashore at this time to have this huge, huge present of pressure.

MARTINEZ: So why has the occasion precipitated a lot controversy in Brazil?

OTIS: Effectively, primarily it is as a result of Bolsonaro has been actually coy about whether or not he would truly go away workplace if he loses within the October 2 election, and the indicators aren’t excellent. He is claimed that the polls are incorrect, that Brazil’s digital voting system is riddled with fraud and that the navy ought to oversee the vote depend. Now, if Bolsonaro does lose and if Bolsonaro tries to cling to energy, he would very seemingly lean on the navy for help. Bolsonaro is, you could recall, a former military captain. His authorities is crammed with ex-military officers. And he is a number of instances declared that solely God can take me from the presidency. So if Bolsonaro manages to attract huge crowds at this time out on Copacabana Seashore, that might be interpreted by the navy as swelling standard help for the president to remain in energy even when he loses.

MARTINEZ: However would then Brazil’s navy truly help an excessive transfer by Bolsonaro?

OTIS: Effectively, I imply, that is the massive query. He’d seemingly get help from some navy officers, but it surely’s extra uncertain that the complete prime brass would associate with a full-fledged coup. Authorities proper now in Brazil are on heightened alert for any type of assault on Brazil’s democracy. They lately raided the properties of a number of Brazilian businessmen who, in textual content messages, seemed to be supporting a navy coup. However all that mentioned, you additionally must do not forget that Brazil does have an extended historical past of navy coups, and it was dominated by a navy dictatorship as lately as 1985.

MARTINEZ: John Otis covers Brazil for NPR. John, as all the time, thanks.

OTIS: Thanks for having me.

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