Brazil’s Bolsonaro takes part in atypical military parade, sends an ambiguous message

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took part today in an uncharacteristic military parade in front of the presidential office and Congress in Brasilia amid a climate of institutional tension.

Along with the commanders of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and several ministers, Bolsonaro watched the small convoy of military vehicles from the top of the ramp of the Planalto Palace, which overlooks Congress and the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF).

Officially, the event was organized for armed forces members to present the president with an invitation to a military exercise held annually about 80 km from the capital since 1988.

But the parade of armored vehicles through the heart of Brasilia, the seat of the three branches of government, is seen by some observers as unprecedented since Brazil’s return to democracy after more than two decades of military dictatorship. Others wave it off and say it’s harmless and don’t understand the outrage.

During the parade, which lasted only about 10 minutes, dozens of government supporters gathered outside the presidential office, some carrying banners calling for military intervention to “save Brazil.”

The military display also coincided with a vote in the National Congress, scheduled for today, on the President’s proposal to introduce printed ballots into the current electronic voting system. The special Chamber of Deputies committee had rejected the proposal last week and the President of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, had scheduled the question for a vote in plenary session this afternoon.

Both Bolsonaro and the Navy, which is organizing the military exercise, deny any connection between the parade and the vote in Congress.

“As has been the case since 1988, our Navy is conducting exercises in Formosa (Goiás). Since the troops come from Rio de Janeiro, the passage through Brasilia is mandatory. I will accept the greeting and wish them good luck in the mission,” Bolsonaro had said the previous day in a message to members of the judiciary and Congress.

The conservative president has been locked for several weeks in an increasingly bitter power struggle with the Supreme Court and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), whose judges and Justices he accuses of trying to harm him in the run-up to the 2022 elections.

In turn, the judges are doing nothing to minimize the dispute. On the contrary, they have made new charges against the president for the past few weeks, calling for investigations into whether certain actions constitute crimes.

It is a power struggle that is could cause lasting damage to the country’s booming economy.

The conflict is that Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned the credibility of electronic ballot boxes, which the country introduced in 1996. At the time, most believed the new system would put an end to voter fraud.

For critics, what was good in 1996 may be challenged in 2021. They point out that hacking is on the rise and digital manipulation is commonplace. However, the TSE has pointed out that the electronic ballot boxes are not connected to the Internet, making hacking next to impossible.

Bolsonaro says he wants to add another layer of security to the system so that digital election results can be verified by analog means in case of doubt.

The president has therefore proposed a constitutional amendment that is currently being discussed in Congress. The proposal now being examined would amend the electronic voting system to add an analog physical “receipt” of the vote that can be counted.

The proposed new system, if enacted, would be in place by the November 2022 general election, when state and federal legislatures and executive positions are contested.

Faced with the TSE’s decision to investigate his conduct, Bolsonaro warned that he would continue to “exercise the right of citizens, freedom of expression and criticism, and above all listen to the will of the people,” who he said wanted to vote with verifiable ballots.

“I have sworn to give my life for the Fatherland” and “I will not be intimidated,” he added, raising his voice before a small group of supporters.