In January, supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the government district in Brasília. The new president is certain: Bolsonaro planned this.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is convinced that his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro planned the storming of the government district in Brasília in January. In conversation with the Brazilian broadcaster RedeTV! Lula said on Thursday: “Today I know and I’ll say it loud and clear: This citizen (ex-President Bolsonaro) prepared the coup.”
He was “sure” that Bolsonaro “was actively involved and is still trying to be a part of it,” Lula said, referring to his role in the violent attacks on Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. According to Lula, his opponents wanted to implement this when he took office on January 1, but in view of the particularly high police presence and large crowds in Brasília, they decided to do it later.
Senator: Bolsonaro has attended meetings
A Brazilian senator was even clearer on Thursday: Bolsonaro attended a meeting in December that discussed how the transfer of power to Lula could be prevented, according to Senator Marcos Do Val, who used to be a Bolsonaro confidante. The plan was to get the chairman of the electoral court, Alexandre de Moraes, to make compromising statements and secretly record him, Do Val said.
The senator originally told Veja magazine that Bolsonaro had proposed the conspiratorial plan himself. The senator later changed his version, saying the former prime minister remained “silent” at the meeting. An ex-MP also attended the meeting. The senator is now being questioned by the police.
Bolsonaro never officially acknowledged his electoral defeat
De Moraes is the most powerful lawyer in Brazil and an enemy for Bolsonaro supporters. Currently, the Supreme Court Justice is tasked with preparing hundreds of indictments against Bolsonaro supporters, who stormed and vandalized several government buildings in the capital Brasília after Lula’s inauguration on January 8.
Bolsonaro, who is also being investigated for the attempted coup, was not in the country at the time of the attack. He had flown to Florida before Lula’s inauguration and is currently trying to extend his visa for the United States. Even before his election defeat, the far-right politician and ex-military man had systematically tried to sow doubts about the outcome of the election. He never officially acknowledged his loss to Lula.
