TO
In keeping with Brazilian humor, the year begins after Carnival, that is, from next Wednesday, Ash Wednesday.
Far from Brazilian humor, the year began in a more than worrying way, with radical followers of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro invading and destroying the headquarters of the three powers in Brasilia – something unprecedented in the country’s history – and with Lula da Silva, who he had assumed his third presidential term on the first day of the year, facing the catastrophe inherited from the worst president in the history of the Republic.
So far, what has been seen since democracy was resumed, just over a month and a half ago, is amazing. A gloomy massacre of indigenous communities was verified, especially for the Yanomami, the largest contingent of indigenous peoples in Brazilian territory. It also became clear to what extent Bolsonaro placed his supporters in positions considered key in the armed forces, mainly in the army.
Getting rid of the military with clear coup tendencies was another of the priority tasks that weigh like shadows on the Lula government. This task is fulfilled like someone who steps on glass: all care is little.
Achieving a delicate balance between the parties of the most different tendencies that were allied to the left and the center left meant accepting concessions that would hardly be given in any other circumstance. But so far the government is still floating. And if in the Brazilian national arena the scenario is still a bit cloudy, in the international environment the environment cleared up quickly, as expected.
Among the innumerable and tense pending issues, in addition to those already mentioned (the question of relations with the armed forces and the situation of the indigenous communities), at least three remain current among the members of the group closest to Lula da Silva.
One is what will happen to the followers of Bolsonaro, who is still a refugee in Florida. As much as it is clear that his figure suffered forceful wear, he continues as the supreme leader of large fanatical hosts.
Every day more evidence emerges that his electoral future hangs by a thread, thanks to the growing number of complaints and lawsuits that could lead to his being declared legally ineligible. His legal future is also increasingly bleak in the face of the prospect of him being brought to a harsh trial. What worries the government is what will happen not only to his followers, but also to those who were elected representatives, senators and governors under his umbrella.
Having a Bolsonaro declared ineligible is one thing. Living with him in such a circumstance, quite another. It remains to be seen whether he will succeed in acting as the leader of a civilized right.
Another worrisome legacy is the staggering – and hitherto unknown in detail – number of weapons distributed among the civilian population.
In 2018, the day before the inauguration of the unbalanced ultra-rightist to the presidential chair, there were 1,300,000 legally registered weapons in the hands of civilians. At the end of 2022, his last year as president, the number reached 2 million 900 thousand, that is, more than double.
In the four years of his tenure, the army, responsible for authorizing new shooting schools, approved 1,483 applications.
In the far-right government, more than twice as many new shooting schools were approved than in the previous 10 years.
This is how my poor country walks, heading towards the reconstruction of democracy, but stumbling at every moment with the cursed inheritance of the abject unbalanced who rests in Florida, far from Carnival and the justice of his country.
