“Jair Bolsonaro said he will not accept defeat” in the Brazilian presidential election on October 2, recalls Tuesday August 16 on franceinfo the historian of contemporary Brazil Silvia Capanema. “Like in the United States”she fears “an attempt to set up against the result of the elections if he is not re-elected”. The far-right president is struggling in the polls against former left-wing president Lula, who benefits from “several calls in support of democracy”.
franceinfo: Can Jair Bolsonaro accept defeat?
Silvia Capanema: He said he will not accept defeat because he distrusts the electoral system. He also plans an action on September 7, the date of the bicentenary of independence and the military parade, to tell his supporters that if he loses the elections, they will not be valid.
“There is therefore a risk of the army seizing power or, as in the United States, of an attempt to frame the election results if he is not re-elected.”
Silvia Capanema, historian of Brazilat franceinfo
It is for this reason that, on the other side, jurists, lawyers, civil society, but also trade unionists and many people have launched several appeals in support of democracy.
What is the economic record of Jair Bolsonaro while the campaign is focused on this point?
Brazil is in a complicated economic situation, in recession. All clues are complicated. There are more and more people who are unemployed and working in the informal economy. Above all, there is an increase in poverty and starvation among the working classes. The unpopularity of Jair Bolsonaro is also due to these economic situations which have impoverished the popular classes, the middle classes for a long time.
Can Lula’s convictions, later overturned, for corruption and money laundering still harm him in the eyes of Brazilians?
Lula has fought in recent years to show that there are, in his view, legal and political persecutions. His conviction is no longer an important subject for the population, which has gone beyond all these scandals. Brazilians are not convinced that Lula did these things. Today, it is above all the questions of improving everyday life and the economy that are important. Bolsonaro’s opponents, who are numerous, are also sensitive to all issues of authoritarianism, conservatism, persecution of minorities and racism.
How does the business world position itself on this leftist candidacy?
Some of the big industrialists or the rich have supported the call for democracy in Brazil, which is actually an anti-Bolsonaro call. Some will clearly support Lula because the two times he was elected there was a pact with part of the Brazilian elite. He has a project called “developmentist” which can also benefit the big Brazilian capitalists.
Can the electoral campaign again be marred by incidents, four years after the attempted assassination of Jair Bolsonaro?
There have already been other attacks, not directly against the candidates but for example against members of Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT). An activist was killed by a supporter of Jair Bolsonaro [le 10 juillet dernier, ndlr]. So we can’t say that it’s going to be a calm campaign until the end.