On Saturday (29), former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party) admitted in an interview with the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo that he had talked to allies about the possibility of triggering a State of Siege, State of Defense or even Article 142 of the Brazilian Constitution to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023.
“I didn’t expect the result [of the presidential elections]. We filed a petition and, the next day, Justice Alexandre de Moraes had it dismissed and gave us a fine of BRL 22 million (over US$ 3,8 million). If we appealed, it could rise to BRL 200 million (more than US$ 34,6 million). If I’m not going to appeal to the Electoral Court, where can I go? I talked to people. I respected the Constitution, [something] you’re tired of hearing. What can we do? Then we took a look at [state of] siege, [state of] defense, [article] 142, intervention.”
He claimed, however, that he had given up on the idea “right away”.
“There is no constitution for a coup. History shows us that a coup can’t be resolved in months. Years. To carry out a coup against the law, you have to find out how about the press, who is going to be our spokesperson, business, religious groups, Parliament, [supporters] abroad. What about the ‘after-day’? So, it was ruled out straight away.”
For the former president, it’s normal to debate these issues within the government. “There’s no problem talking about it.”
“You have to discuss it with a lot of people. I have a lot of confidence in the military. There’s no problem talking. Talk to the defense minister first. Then, at the second meeting, the guys showed up. Is there anything substantiated, concrete, for us to look for an alternative? We’ve come to the conclusion that, even if there was, we won’t go ahead. So, forget it.
Jair Bolsonaro and seven of his allies, including five members of the military, became defendants on Thursday (27) for attempted coup, criminal organization, qualified damage to federal property and deterioration of listed property. They are now facing a trial that could lead to 43 years in prison.
In the interview, Bolsonaro also said that prison could be the “end of my life”, and denied planning to leave Brazil, where he considers himself popular. “I think I’m good here. I’m 70 years old, I feel good. I want good for my country,” he said.
