Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Says Only God Can Remove Him From Power Amid Rallies, Supreme Court Fight
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday in front of his 114,000 supporters that only God can remove him from power and take him out of Brazil.
Bolsonaro had also fired fresh attacks on Congress and the Supreme Court, saying that these institutions are persecuting him and his political allies, according to a BBC News report.
The Brazilian president is currently facing several investigations after the court recently approved it.
Meanwhile, his approval rating continues to dip down with a poll by Atlas Institute suggesting that 61 percent of Brazilians noted his government's performance as bad or very bad.
The said rating had increased from 23 percent when he first took office in January 2019.
Bolsonaro is portraying himself to be a victim of the attacks of Congress and the Supreme Court.
He told evangelical leaders last week that he has three alternatives for his future, which as being arrested, killed, or victorious.
Evangelical leaders are among Bolsonaro's staunchest backers.
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Rallies During Brazil's Independence Day
Protesters had gathered in the streets of Brazil on Independence Day to show support to the Brazilian president, while there were also others who went against the president.
Heavy security measures were installed in major cities including Brasilia and Sao Paulo to avoid clashes, according to an Aljazeera report.
The president had intended to attend rallies in both Brasilia and the economic capital Sao Paolo.
Bolsonaro earlier said that the Supreme Court judges should consider the rallies an "ultimatum."
Bolsonaro had also claimed that he cannot accept a voting system that does not offer any security in the elections, dubbing it a farce sponsored by the head of the electoral court.
However, Bolsonaro's critics said that he is planting doubts in an attempt to allegedly challenge the results of the 2022 presidential elections, which will be held in October 2022, according to a Reuters report.
Leftist leaders have urged followers to avoid clashes by skipping counter-demonstrations.
Supreme Court's Investigation
Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber had approved to open an investigation against Bolsonaro, saying that it is supported by recent testimony in a Senate committee looking at the government's response to the pandemic.
Prosecutors will investigate whether Bolsonaro had committed "prevarication," which means delaying or refraining from action due to personal interest, according to an Associated Press News report.
The probe comes after the chief of the Health Ministry's import decision, Luis Ricardo Miranda, said that he faced pressure to sign off on the import of 20 million vaccines from Bharat Biotech.
Miranda noted that there were irregularities in the invoices, including a $45 million upfront payment to a Singapore-based company.
Bharat Biotech is an Indian pharmaceutical company.
Bharat has denied any wrongdoing in regards to the vaccine supply, while Bolsonaro has denied any knowledge of corruption.
He further said that he cannot know what happens within his ministries.
Miranda had testified with his brother, Luis Miranda, who is a lawmaker recently allied with Bolsonaro.
The Miranda brothers had brought their concern directly to the Brazilian president, who told them that he would report it to the Federal Police.
However, the Federal Police denied having received any request to probe.
READ MORE: Brazil Forced To Suspend COVID Vaccine Second Doses After Shortage
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: 'Only God will take me out of Brasilia', defiant Bolsonaro says - from Al Jazeera English