Brazil’s Bolsonaro denies ‘coup-mongering’ after attending anti-lockdown rally

President Jair Bolsonaro was on Monday forced to deny he wants to close Brazil's congress just a day after attending a rally calling for the military to intervene against the country's legislature and supreme court.

The far-right leader backtracked following intense criticism of a speech in which he told supporters in Brasília: "Enough of the old politics. The era of scoundrels is over. Now it is the people in power."

After congressional leaders and members of the supreme court denounced the “coup-mongering rhetoric”, Mr Bolsonaro retreated when speaking to journalists as he left his residence on Monday morning. “None of this talk of closing. Here you don’t have to close anything . . . Here is democracy, here is respect for the Brazilian constitution,” he told them.

Sunday’s rally attended by the president was one of several held across the country by his supporters over the weekend amid an increasingly bitter political dispute over how to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

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Military intervention

As well as demanding an end to quarantine measures in place to combat the spread of the virus, protesters called for the military to intervene against congress, whose leadership backs the containment effort. At the rally the president attended in Brasília there were signs calling for a new AI-5, referring to the notorious 1968 decree issued by the previous military dictatorship which closed congress and suspended habeas corpus.

The weekend’s protests were organised in support of Mr Bolsonaro’s virulent campaign against efforts by Brazil’s governors and his own administration to try and contain the spread of the virus, which he says will bring economic devastation. Last week Mr Bolsonaro fired his health minister, who had argued the spread of coronavirus meant it was too soon to move towards re-opening the economy.

Impeachment

Widespread alarm at the president’s performance during the pandemic has reignited talk of congress opening impeachment proceedings against him. In response, Mr Bolsonaro has stepped up attacks on congress, who he accuses of plotting to overthrow him. Though making no official comment on the weekend’s protests, Brazil’s military high command signalled its disapproval of the president’s attendance at Sunday’s rally.

Brazil has recorded almost 40,000 infections, with 2,484 people dying from Covid-19 as of Monday. But with limited testing capabilities public health experts worry the number of infections and deaths from the virus is much higher. In several states the public health system is coming under severe strain, with more and more hospitals reporting that all their intensive care beds are occupied.