Thousands in Brazil Protest for Bolsonaro's Impeachment Over COVID-19 Handling

Thousands of people in Brazil took to the streets Sunday to call for the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro over his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bolsonaro had been under fire for his administration's handling of vaccination roll-out and the surging death toll from the pandemic, things that many Brazilians believe is enough for an impeachment.

According to Bloomberg, motorcades calling for Bolsonaro's impeachment clogged some of the main avenues in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. People honked their horns and held signs calling for the president's ouster.

This scene can be witnessed in several other areas in Brazil as more protesters also marched on foot, some calling "Get out Bolsonaro," reported ABC News.

Impeachment-related Protests Backed by Conservative Groups

The demonstration held on Sunday were supported by conservative groups, and the Saturday protest was organized by left-wing political parties and labor unions.

Even though the protests were smaller compared to those held in recent years, the weekend's events still point to a growing sense of discontent in Bolsonaro's leadership amid the pandemic.

One of the protesters was Meg Fernandes, a 66-year-old engineer. She was in the Rio protest on Sunday.

"When Bolsonaro arrived, we voted for him for his proposals that we found interesting, but the situation now with the pandemic is terrible," she said.

What alarmed Fernandes more was the COVID-19 situation in the city of Manaus where there was an oxygen shortage and patients were put on wait lists to get hospital intensive-care beds.

"I had already been disappointed last year, but now with the situation in Manaus, I think (this government) has to stop," she told ABC News.

The situation in Manaus renewed criticism for Bolsonaro who in recent weeks also faced delays in launching the country's immunization campaign against the coronavirus.

He was also against lockdown measures that could prevent the spread of the coronavirus, arguing that putting the country on lockdown would cause economic damage that would be worse than the disease.

He is halfway through his four-year term.

Bolsonaro Faces Little Risk of Impeachment

Bolsonaro is facing sharp declines when it comes to support as the brutal second wave of the virus hits Brazil.

In a Datafolha poll, it was found that Bolsonaro's administration was rated bad or terrible by 40% of respondents, compared to the 32% in early December. On the other hand, about a third of respondents believe the government was good or excellent, compared to the 37% in the previous survey.

It was his biggest drop since he started his term in 2019.

Despite this, more than half of respondents in another Datafolha poll said they were against Congress opening impeachment against Bolsonaro, reported Reuters.

Fifty-three percent were against the proceedings compared to 50% in the previous survey.

Both polls were conducted from January 20 to 21. It involved interviews for 2,030 Brazilians at a 2 % margin of error.

Thomaz Favaro, a political analyst at consultancy Control Risks, also believes there will be less risks of Bolsonaro's impeachment taking off.

However, he added that the chances are dependent on his allies in Congress. They are awaiting a February vote for leadership of the lower house.

"Bolsonaro's base in congress is unstable, but it is robust," Favaro said.

If Bolsonaro were to be impeached, it "changes the country's political trajectory," added Favaro.