wBefore being defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in last year’s presidential elections in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro had repeatedly said that if he failed to be re-elected, it could only be through fraud. He called his political rivals “thieves” and warned of violence if he did not vote. After the electoral defeat, he publicly refused to accept anything. Two days before Lula’s inauguration on January 1, he left Brazil for Florida, while his supporters continued to camp outside the army headquarters in Brasilia. Unexpectedly, a week after Lula’s inauguration, Thousands of Mr Bolsonaro’s supporters storm the institutional trinity of Brazil’s democracy – the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress – denounced the election as stolen and demanded that the army shut down Lula’s government. Mr Bolsonaro has to take the blame for what happened in Brasilia on Sunday, which is a reminder of the same January 6, 2021 Riots at the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump. While in power, he sided with the anti-institutionalist, anti-conspiracyists of the far-right side of Brazilian politics. Mr. Bolsonaro, a fan of military dictatorship, had little regard for the country’s institutions. His silence, along with the support of Brazil’s wealthy class, appears to have empowered protesters to attack state institutions on Sunday.
For Lula, the riots presented the first major challenge to his presidency. He said the local police, under the control of Brasilia’s governor Ibanés Rocha, a Bolsonaro ally, did not do enough to stop the invaders. But Lula quickly deployed federal security officers, clearing rioters from state buildings. The Supreme Court also intervened, ordering military police to clear camps of Mr Bolsonaro’s supporters outside the military headquarters, and removing Mr Rocha from office for three months. But that is not enough. For its own political stability, Brazil must end this electoral crisis. So far, its institutions have dealt with the threats of marginalized groups with maturity. But Brazil, a relatively young democracy, has a violent past not far away and its leaders should not consider any threat to its democratic stability. Brazil must get to the bottom of the riots Through thorough investigation; Bring all the guilty, from instigators and financiers to participants, for justice, And make sure that such an incident does not happen again. In the meantime, at least Mr. Bolsonaro can, pending the investigation, publicly acknowledge that he was defeated in the election, and ask his supporters to accept that fact and respect the country’s constitution. Huh.