Bolsonaro on the way to ‘impeachment’? The nine crimes against the president of Brazil that, despite everything, would not remove him from office

The brazilian Jair Bolsonaro, one of the presidents who was most reluctant to accept the gravity of the COVID-19, who was infected despite boasting about taking hydroxychloroquine, who was always against quarantines and does not want to be vaccinated either, has been accused on Wednesday by a Senate commission of “crimes against humanity” for his erratic management of the pandemic in one of the countries most affected in the world by the coronavirus.

These numbers are no longer enough to understand the seriousness of the situation: 600 thousand deceased and more than 12 thousand children under the age of six (mostly just babies) who were orphaned after their parents perished from coronavirus. Brazil It is the country with the highest mortality after the United States.

READ ALSO: The 9 accusations against Bolsonaro for his management of the pandemic in Brazil

“We know that we are not to blame for absolutely nothing. We know we did the right things from the get-go “, the president defended himself from a public act in the municipality of Russas, in the northeast of Brazil.

After six months of work, the Parliamentary Investigation Commission (CPI) concluded that Bolsonaro aggravated the health crisis by a “political decision”.

“The president repeatedly encouraged the population to violate social distancing, opposed the use of a mask, promoted crowds and tried to disqualify vaccines”, says the lapidary report presented to the Senate by the opposition legislator Renan Calheiros.

A man holds a Brazilian flag that says “Genocide” during a demonstration against President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Sao Paulo, on July 3, 2021. (MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL / AFP).

The document also denounces the president for other eight crimes, typified as epidemic resulting in death, violation of sanitary measures, medical quackery, incitement to crime, attacks on the dignity of the office, prevarication, falsification of documents and irregular use of public money. In addition to Bolsonaro, four ministers and 61 other people have been charged, including three of the president’s children, the latter above all for spreading ‘fake news’.

The conclusions of the text will be voted on by the eleven members of the commission next week and, if approved, will be sent to the Attorney General’s Office and the courts, which will have the last word on the eventual processes. “Many innocents paid with their lives for the irresponsibility of the government and the president”, stated Calheiros in his conclusion, to add that “Now is the time when the guilty will pay.”

READ ALSO: Jair Bolsonaro decided not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus

The scope of the allegations

Although the final report of the ICC is very harsh against the president, this will not mean that the way has been marked for impeachment or an eventual exit from power prematurely.

“From a practical point of view, this report affects very little, because the ICC does not have any power of trial, acquittal or conviction”Brazilian political analyst Carlos Alberto di Franco tells El Comercio.

On the right, Senator Renan Calheiros, rapporteur of the Parliamentary Investigative Commission during the presentation of the document before the Upper House. He is accompanied by the president of the group, Omar Aziz. AFP (EDILSON RODRIGUES /)

“Despite the conflictive and problematic behavior of Bolsonaro, the commission was quite theatrical and does not have great prestige ”, adds.

Precisely, the president himself criticized the investigative group after learning of his decision to denounce him: “It would be good if that CPI were doing something productive for our Brazil. They stole the time of our Health Minister, officials, humble people and businessmen, but they produced nothing, only hatred and resentment ”.

For Di Franco, it is more about a decision that may have political consequences in the 2022 electoral process, and that will have as protagonists -for now- the extreme right Bolsonaro and the former leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

“Congress, and the Senate first, has to take a stand and Bolsonaro still has the majority, so in practical terms I do not believe that there is a greater legal consequence, but rather a declaration of politicians for their electors ”, the media-savvy analyst continues.

A president who polarizes

Since he came to power, Bolsonaro he has not been a president who has built bridges. It was not during his election campaign, much less during his three decades as a legislator.

His extremist speech led him to the presidency, and the tone has not lowered. Although he has loyal followers -the hard right-wing vote that has accompanied him from the start- approval of his management continues to decline and already stands at 22%, when in February 2021, despite the pandemic, it was 28%, according to September data from the Ipec firm. His disapproval, in the same way, has risen to 53% when in February of this year it was around 40%.

The city of Manaus was one of the most affected by COVID-19. Now there is already a decrease in cases and deaths. EFE / Raphael Alves (Raphael Alves /)

To this should be added the shadow that the figure of Lula continues to represent, his staunch rival, who does not hesitate to constantly criticize him. In fact, the former president would win in the second round for next year’s elections, according to all the polls.

“Nevertheless, Bolsonaro he has 20% of people who stay with him in any situation. It’s the same thing that happens with Lula. These populist politicians have this mark, of having faithful people until the end. But without a doubt, Bolsonaro has lost a considerable number of support ”, adds Di Franco.

The analyst explains that, despite the president’s speech against vaccines, within a month the country will have vaccinated more people than the United States: “Bolsonaro it has had an absurd behavior in the pandemic, but in the memory of the people it remains that the money for vaccines has come from the federal government, that is, with the authorization of the president. In fact, 6 million Brazilians are already vaccinated. Bolsonaro he is a very conflictive character and he also has a speech with a political perspective, because that is how he occupies the headlines all the time ”.

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