Brazil Impeachment Protests Weakens; Protests Lack Support From Leftists Political Groups

The latest protests across Brazil on Sunday showed that pressure from the streets remained insufficient for the impeachment push against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazil's Impeachment Push Lacks Support

Compared to the rallies earlier this week, the demonstrations on Sunday were far smaller than the rallies that showed up for the president of Brazil, who is now facing calls of impeachment.

According to ABC News, many of the protesters were dressed in all-white based on the instructions given by political groups that organized the demonstrations in at least 19 states. Despite the crowd who came up to go against Bolsonaro, there was a notable absence of leftist political parties, which diminished in the impeachment push.

A professor of political science at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Leonardo Avritzer, observed that Bolsonaro has not yet faced any pressure from the public despite being in the middle of a political crisis. He added that so far, the Brazilian people were not exerting pressure on lawmakers from the center for impeachment.

"Impeachment can come if lawmakers understand that they begin to run the risk of not being elected in 2022 by continuing to support the Brazilian president," Avritzer added.

Effects of Bolsonaro Protest

On Sunday, protests emerged in different states, targeting the alleged mishandling of COVID-19 by the government. Protesters claim that improper response to the pandemic caused the surge of inflation in the food and power industry.

However, the demonstration on Sept. 7 by Bolsonaro prompted the attacks on the Supreme Court. It also threatened to plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.

Moreover, Centrist lawmakers mentioned to The Associated Press this week that turnout at Sunday's demonstrations would be decisive because it would determine whether there would be a push for impeachment.

Meanwhile, an accountant who joined a rally in Sao Paulo, Alessandra Amorim, stated that the orders from Bolsonaro should be stopped. She emphasized that they wanted to have vaccines in their arms and food on their plates.

Amorim also said that the country has had enough of Bolsonaro. She mentioned that Brazil needs food and vaccines; and that it does not have the strength to fight anymore.

On the other hand, the approval ratings of the Brazilian president have steadily declined throughout the year. However, he remained far more popular compared to the previous presidents of the country who were impeached. The most recent was Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party in 2016.

Leandro Consentino, professor of political science at Insper, a university in Sao Paulo, stated that, unlike in 2016, people were not widely united on a specific purpose. He added that many political leaders wanted to resolve the political crisis with the 2022 elections instead when Bolsonaro is expected to extend his term.

However, the pro-Bolsonaro demonstrations recently proved that the Brazilian president could still be able to energize his followers.

During the demonstration, Balsonaro also announced that he would no longer abide by rulings from Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who will assume the nation's presidency in the 2022 election. Bolsonaro also emphasized that only God can remove him from the presidency.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Jess Smith

WATCH: Thousands turn out for pro and Anti-Bolsonaro protests on Brazilian Independence Day-Guardian News