Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro fades from the spotlight
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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is fading from the spotlight, showing the courts' power over the electoral system and the political shortcomings of the increasingly powerless former leader. Brazil's top electoral court ruled last month that Bolsonaro is ineligible to run for any political office until 2030 for abusing his power and casting unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system. Trump, who also cast doubt on the U.S. electoral system and faces legal trouble, remains the front-runner for the Republican Party’s nomination.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is fading from the spotlight, showing the courts' power over the electoral system and the political shortcomings of the increasingly powerless former leader.
A clear demonstration of Bolsonaro's waning power was a tax reform vote in Congress’ lower house this month.
Bolsonaro has “little to no influence as a potential opposition leader,” political analyst Leandro Loyola wrote after the vote.
“Fascinating,” the caption read. “He keeps diminishing.”
Construction executive Alexandre Cohim donated to Bolsonaro’s re-election campaign but said Friday that the court making the former president ineligible was a “blessing."
“It will allow other people from the right who are more capable to emerge,” Cohim, 60, said by phone from Salvador.
“Bolsonaro seems to be on his way toward an inevitable end of his career,” political columnist Merval Pereira wrote in newspaper O Globo this month.
Sao Paulo state Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas, Bolsonaro's former infrastructure minister and a close ally who backed his reelection bid, is among the politicians floated as potential standard-bearers for the right.
Some scoff at the conclusion that Bolsonaro has no shot of returning to the nation’s highest office less than a year after he received 58 million votes against Lula’s 60 million. But Geraldo Tadeu, a political scientist from the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said Bolsonaro’s rise to power in 2018 could be mostly explained by a confluence of one-off factors.
“The circumstances left a vacuum that Bolsonaro filled,” said Tadeu.
Bolsonaro's lack of “leadership and negotiation skills” and inability to maintain political support undermine his odds of a comeback, Tadeu said.
“The shop is a form of propaganda, a way of maintaining Bolsonaro alive as a symbol," said Caio Marcondes, a political scientist from the University of Sao Paulo. "He’s a brand, a product that represents the right in Brazil.”
The shop is also a way to raise funds as his legal fees mount. A prosecutor has asked for Bolsonaro's party to be ordered to suspend his salary, and Bolsonaro faced hefty fines for disrespecting COVID-19 rules in Sao Paulo state. The latter prompted allies last month to ask supporters for electronic money transfers directly to Bolsonaro's bank account.
“Enough has been raised to pay current fines,” Bolsonaro said in a video broadcast by conservative news channel Jovem Pan at the end of June. The former leader did not disclose how much.
Launching calls for donations is also a way to keep Bolsonaro's base mobilized, Marcondes said.
“The idea is to create opportunities for people to engage so that they feel part of a movement that is not dead,” he said.
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AP reporter Carla Bridi contributed from Brasilia.
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