Bolsonaro Under Fire as 29 Petitions for Impeachment Threaten His Presidency
From the investigation of his family's connection to shady online operations to the recession of the nation's economy and to the criticism of poor leadership at the time a pandemic shakes the country, Bolsonaro seems to be losing his grip on a tight rein.
Brazil is turning into a hotspot for the coronavirus, and earlier this week, Brazil's deaths exceeded that of China's reported toll. Nonetheless, Bolsonaro continues to downplay the pandemic and refuses to implement mitigation measures for healthcare systems and the failing economy.
"He's delusional if he thinks he's unaffected by the Constitution," Senator Randolfe Rodrigues said. He added that he hoped Bolsonaro would realize he was not above the law.
Impeachment Gaining Traction in Congress
As of yet, lawmakers have submitted 29 impeachment petitions against the president. After Bolsonaro fired the federal police chief, on top of other officials, Justice Minister Sergio Moro resigned.
In a text sent to the New York Times, Moro said he initially joined the government to fight against corruption. He said he gave up when he realized he would not be able to do it in that area.
Recently, Moro claimed that Bolsonaro was trying to cover up his tracks through the obstruction of justice by assigning a close official to supervise the agency doing an investigation on his supporters running an underground operation, which includes one of Bolsonaro's sons.
Demands for Bolsonaro's resignation and impeachment are moving ahead in Congress.
While the Bolsonaro administration is being thrown under fire, current Vice President Hamilton Mourao has been speculated to run for office.
After Bolsonaro fired the health minister last month because of the latter's encouragement for the nation to take mitigation measures against the pandemic, Mourao told reporters that everything was under control. He added, "We just don't know whose."
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Bolsonaro's Support Base
Recently, the pandemic and the departure of many government officials have both cost the Bolsonaro administration a lot of former supporters. A survey conducted by Datafolha earlier this week has shown that 33 percent of the respondents still support him.
Bolsonaro's support base is made up primarily of members of the Evangelical Christians, who have supported him throughout his campaign and presidency.
The leader of the megachurch, Silas Malafaia, said in an interview that, "All the leaders of Evangelical churches in Brazil continue supporting him in the same way."
He added that the only way the president lost their support as if he was participating in corruption. Bolsonaro strengthened this support by periodically talking about his stances on abortion and through false claims about the World Health Organization.
Bolsonaro's campaign and presidency have been significantly boosted by well-organized propaganda and online movements that have been running underground. These reach the public via social media platforms and messaging apps.
After a thorough investigation by the federal police and congressional committee, the operations of these online communities were found to be spearheaded by managers of political shills. Among the suspects are two of the president's children, Eduardo and Carlos Bolsonaro.
Further probing is required before the police can arrive at any conclusions. Until then, the suspects are closely monitored.
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