The political crisis in Brazil has intensified even further, after the chiefs of the three armed forces—the army, the navy, and the air-force—all resigned after President Jair Bolsonaro replaced Defence Minister Fernando Azevêdo e Silva with Gen. Walter Souza Braga Netto. The resignations of Army Commander Edson Leal Pujol, Naval Commander Ilques Barbosa Junior, and Air Force Commander Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez follow a meeting with Bolsonaro at the Presidential Office, in which they expressed their disagreement with the president’s decision to dismiss Azevêdo e Silva.
Azevêdo e Silva is thought to have grown increasingly concerned by Bolsonaro’s use of the army as a tool to cement his power and advance his political agenda. In fact, after being relieved of his post on Monday, Azevêdo e Silva said that his goal was to “preserve the armed forces as state institutions”.
These concerns appear to have been confirmed by retired Gen Carlos Alberto Santos Cruz, Bolsonaro’s former government secretary, who tweeted following the resignations of the three armed forces commanders: “THE ARMED FORCES WON’T GO ON AN ADVENTURE.” In fact, last year, Army Commander Pujol said that the military “doesn’t want to get involved in politics”.
According to local news outlet Folha de São Paulo, at the meeting at Planalto Palace, Naval Commander Barbosa Junior said that Azevêdo’s firing could “generate apprehension” and “reflect badly on the Armed Forces”.
Last week, Bolsonaro described governors and mayors who implemented lockdowns as “tyrants” and threatened to deploy the military to protect the country’s “democracy and freedom”. These comments, however, have made army generals “uneasy”, particularly when Bolsonaro called the military “my army”, as they do not want to be seen as operating at the behest of the President or as “defend[ing] his interests”.
At various points during his tenure, Bolsonaro has made public his desire to return to a more authoritarian style of governance, like that seen in the military dictatorship that ruled over Brazil from 1964-1985. A former army captain, Bolsonaro has repeatedly celebrated and defended the previous military regime in spite of its numerous human rights abuses and the fact that thousands of citizens were either tortured or killed under the brutal military regime. In fact, Azevêdo e Silva is a staunch critic of that period in Brazilian history, unlike his replacement, Netto, who like Bolsonaro has celebrated the military dictatorship.
Last year, after the Supreme Court opened an investigation into him for political interference in the police force, he told demonstrators gathered outside the presidential palace: “We have the armed forces at the people’s side: the side of order, democracy, liberty.”
The current crisis was set in motion by the resignation of Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, who was criticised by fellow lawmakers of poorly navigating ties with China, India, and the United States (US), which they argue has resulted in severe vaccine shortages during the ongoing pandemic. He has now been replaced by diplomat Carlos Alberto França.
In fact, his resignation formed part of a wider Cabinet reshuffle of six ministers, including Defence Minister Azevêdo e Silva and Foreign Minister Araújo. Earlier this week, Attorney General Andre Levi resigned after refusing to sign Bolsonaro’s lawsuit against state governors who implemented strict lockdown measures, and will now be replaced by former Justice Minister Andre Mendonca, who himself will now be replaced by Federal Police Chief Anderson Torres. Furthermore, Secretary of State Gen. Luiz Eduardo Ramos took up the post of Government Minister, paving the way for federal deputy Flavia Arruda to assume the role of Secretary of State. Moreover, just two weeks ago, Bolsonaro appointed the country’s fourth health minister since the coronavirus pandemic began, naming named cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga, who heads the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, to replace army general Eduardo Pazuello.
This political crisis comes at a time when the public health crisis in Brazil no signs of slowing down either. At least 314,000 people have now died, and the country posted a daily record of 3,780 deaths on Tuesday. Against this backdrop, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has all but confirmed his candidacy in the 2022 election after the Supreme Court annulled corruption charges against him, is only growing more popular.
Brazilian Armed Forces Commanders Resign Over Bolsonaro’s Dismissal of Defence Minister
Brazil is in the throes of a full-blown political crisis, after all three commanders of the armed forces resigned in protest against President Jair Bolsonaro’s dismissal of the Defence Minister.
April 1, 2021
IMAGE SOURCE: ADRIANO MACHADO / REUTERSBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro