Society reacts to crisis and Mourão rules out coup
After the publication of multi-party manifestos for democracy in the last few days and as protesters, for the first time since the pandemic started, took to the streets of São Paulo on Sunday to show support for democracy. Wearing football jerseys, they clashed a few times with small groups of Bolsonaro supporters bearing the yellow-and-green shirts of Brazil's national team, a symbol of anti-government protests during Workers' Party (PT) administrations.
Amid the increasingly fraught political climate, Supreme Justice Celso de Mello issued a memorandum to his Federal Supreme Court (STF) peers warning that the military intervention advocated by autocratic leaders "has no other meaning, in the newspeak of Bolsonarism, than installing a despicable and abject military dictatorship in Brazil."
But retired general and Vice-President Hamilton Mourão says a coup is "totally out of question." Speaking with Valor on Friday, he downplayed concerns about the statement of another retired general, Institutional Security Office Minister Augusto Heleno, who warned of "unpredictable consequences for national stability" after the STF asked the Office of Prosecutor-General to seize the president's smartphone.
"The rhetoric is angry on both sides. There's this pep squad mood everywhere," he says. Asked about Sunday's wave of demonstrations, he issued a note: "While the attributions of the branches are respected, decisions of authorities are obeyed and there is discipline in the Armed Forces, as has been happening, there is no other threat to the democratic rule of law in Brazil."
About Mr. Bolsonaro's colorful complaints about the STF in the infamous April 22 meeting, Mr. Mourão says the president is only "venting." But he also believes there should be an effort to cool tensions and build bridges with the STF, which is probing who is financing a fake-news network benefiting the president, including during the 2018 campaign. If found in violation, the whole Bolsonaro-Mourão ticket could be revoked. Below are the interview's main excerpts.
Valor: Let us start with the constitutional crisis issue. We are all very concerned with the growing tensions between branches.
Hamilton Mourão: Don't do it. Stay calm!
Valor: Do you fear a constitutional crisis whose outcome is unpredictable?
Mr. Mourão: Other periods of our history can't be repeated today, because the world changed, the country changed.
Valor: Well, but...
Mr. Mourão: They are talking about a coup. That's totally out of question, out of order and out of focus.
Valor: Totally?
Mr. Mourão: Totally! Totally! You can be sure of that.
Valor: But the latest developments, Mr. Heleno's letter?
Mr. Mourão: I'm not worried about that. I think that a lot of its just angry rhetoric. I mean, the rhetoric is angry on both sides. There's this pep squad mood everywhere, from the medicine [use chloroquine or not] to the ruling...
Valor: Isn't this level of polarization frightening?
Mr. Mourão: But it's a global phenomenon. It's no just in Brazil.
Valor: You claim it's just rhetoric, but it's still complicated. What did Minister Heleno wanted to say by "unpredictable consequences for national stability"? What about the president?
Mr. Mourão: This thing with Heleno is behind us. On Friday [May 22] he was just venting about the decision of [STF Justice] Celso de Mello. And the president gets irritated. It's a personal trait of his. We try to talk him out of getting irritated, because what irritates also dominates you, but sometimes he has to vent.
Valor: He's venting?
Mr...
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