Politics

President Lula Axes Army Chief as Court Probes Congress Riot

By Web News 501

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has sacked the country’s army chief, two weeks after rioting in the capital.

General Julio Cesar de Arruda had only been in the role since 30 December – just before former president Jair Bolsonaro’s mandate ended.

President Lula has said he suspects members of the armed forces colluded with protesters.

He has dismissed dozens of military officers in recent days.

Thousands of supporters of Mr Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília on 8 January after managing to march, largely unchallenged, through the city.

Several police officers were injured in the violence and the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court were vandalised after rioters forced their way in. Some 2,000 people were detained on the day, Brazil’s federal police reported, and nearly 1,200 remain under arrest.

The Supreme Court is investigating what happened and is including Jair Bolsonaro in the probe. Prosecutors said the far-right former leader may have incited the riot after posting a video that questioned the legitimacy of last year’s presidential election.

He has denied any involvement in or responsibility for the uprising by his supporters.

General Arruda is being replaced by a military commander close to the president – General Tomás Ribeiro Paiva. He made a speech earlier this week urging soldiers to accept the result of the presidential election.

Unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in October’s election were a driving motivation for many Bolsonaro supporters involved in the storming. Many were also enraged that President Lula, who was found guilty of corruption in 2017 and spent time in prison before his convictions were annulled, was back in power.

President Lula blames Mr Bolsonaro directly for the rioting, but also points the finger very firmly at collusion by “people inside the armed forces”.

Mr Bolsonaro was previously an army captain and known to have the support of certain figures in the military. Lula’s sacking of the army commander and removal of dozens of officers responsible for presidential security could be seen as steps towards rebuilding trust in the military personnel who surround him.

After this tumultuous start, Lula now faces the challenge of trying to govern in a bitter and thoroughly polarised atmosphere.

On Friday, Brazil’s Defence Minister, José Múcio, said it was time to turn the page and focus on the country’s future – adding that the military as an institution was not involved in the rioting.

Meanwhile, Jair Bolsonaro remains in Florida, where he has been since he refused to attend President Lula’s inauguration ceremony.

Last week, the former justice minister and a key ally of Mr Bolsonaro, Anderson Torres, was arrested after being accused of “sabotaging” police efforts to protect the buildings in Brasília.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

Brazil’s Presidency: Lula Steps on Turf with “Pre-Launch”

By Web News 480

Former Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has launched his campaign for October’s presidential election.

At a rally, the left-winger called on Brazilians to support him in defending the country’s democracy from the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula led the country for eight years from 2003 but was later convicted of corruption and jailed before having the judgment overturned last year.

The rally was called a “pre-launch” as official campaigning begins in August.

Lula’s campaign pledges to “join democrats of all political positions, classes, races and religious beliefs”.

The 76-year-old told supporters that the current situation in the country “forces us to overcome our differences and build an alternative path to the incompetence and authoritarianism that governs us”.

“I’m jumping back into the fight,” he told a cheering crowd in São Paulo on Saturday.

Lula, who governed Brazil between 2003 and 2010, is a towering figure in left-wing politics in Brazil and beyond. His government helped lift tens of millions of people from poverty.

But in 2018 he was the most senior politician to be convicted as part of an investigation into a huge bribery scandal, known as “Operation Car Wash“.

After his conviction and 12-year jail sentence, Lula was banned from the presidential race in 2018.

But last year, a Supreme Court judge annulled his corruption convictions, ruling that a biased judge who looked at Lula’s case had compromised his right to a fair trial.

Earlier this year, Mr Bolsonaro said that Lula’s return to the presidency would be like “the return of a criminal to the crime scene”.

There are growing fears that, if Lula wins the October elections, Mr Bolsonaro might not accept defeat as he has repeatedly questioned Brazil’s electronic voting system.

Lula has picked the centrist former governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin as his running mate for vice-president. Mr Alckmin’s more moderate political stance is expected to attract voters who are unhappy with President Bolsonaro’s administration, but are also wary of Lula’s politics.

Mr Alckmin, who stood against Lula in the 2006 presidential elections, thanked Lula for his trust and said he is proud of their alliance.

Recent opinion polls show that Lula has a comfortable advantage over his rival.

President Bolsonaro has faced pressure from the public over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, but his popularity has increased after a boost in his government’s welfare spending.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon