Military Mission Creep Threatens Brazil’s Democracy
During his presidency, Jair Bolsonaro has expanded the armed forces’ presence in the political sphere. By ceding them a role in vote monitoring, electoral authorities make a bad situation worse.
Not a great day for Brazilian democracy.
Photographer: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images
Not since the end of Brazil’s military dictatorship nearly four decades ago have its generals wielded so much political clout. Between active duty and reserve officers, they have policed the Amazon and urban hot spots, filled executive offices at state-controlled companies, extended their hold of federal government positions and even helped run a growing number of schools. Their perks and benefits have multiplied. Now the armed forces have waded into the thorny debate over electronic voting and plan to help oversee October’s presidential poll. In a democracy, it’s a step too far.
Even by the standards of a country that brushed the repressive excesses of the 1960s and 1970s under the carpet, President Jair Bolsonaro has been a cheerleader for the armed forces. With no political foundation to lean on when he took power, the one-time army captain spotted a suitably conservative support base, trusted by voters. So it was unsurprising when his government, lagging in the polls, demanded a role for the military in securing a voting process that Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned. Electoral authorities made room, giving dangerous credence to baseless claims of vote fraud, bolstering senior officers’ view of themselves as guardians of the nation.