The Special Adviser to the Brazilian Presidency, Celso Amorim, confirmed in an exclusive interview with the "From Washington" program that what happened in Brazil on January 8 is a repetition of what supporters of former US President Donald Trump did in the United States on January 6. , in reference to the storming of the US Congress two years ago.
He said that what happened in Brazil and the United States of America is linked to extreme right-wing groups that are linked to the growth of the extreme right in the world, which is trying to obtain the support of the people to establish its authoritarian regime.
Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the presidential palace, the Congress building, and the square of the Federal Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia, calling on the army to intervene to isolate President Lula da Silva.
The storming came a week after da Silva was inaugurated and Bolsonaro left the country for the United States, after refusing to concede his defeat to his rival in the two-round presidential elections last October.
On the military rule in Brazil, the guest of the episode (2/23/2023) of the “From Washington” program confirmed that the military instinct still exists and has been manipulated, and therefore the former Brazilian president was overthrown and the leftist (current president) Lula da Silva was imprisoned. .
He called on the Arab countries to draw lessons from what happened in Brazil and other countries in Latin America regarding democracy.
Corruption threatens Brazilian democracy
In the same context, Lucas Fernandez, a specialist in political science and Brazilian Congress affairs, said that what happened in Brazil on January 8 contradicts the democratic system, accusing former President Bolsonaro of strengthening dictatorial rule during his presidency of Brazil.
On Washington's support for the future of democracy in Brazil, Fernandez indicated that American democracy itself faces challenges, as evidenced by the storming of Congress by supporters of former President Trump, but noted that Washington, the European Union and other countries have defended democracy, and that US President Joe Biden's expression of concern On democracy reflects the fragility of this democracy in Brazil and the world.
The US President had expressed to his Brazilian counterpart in a phone call last January the United States' firm support for democracy in Brazil and for the outcome of the presidential elections, which da Silva won.
On the other hand, Paulo Kramer, a professor of political science at the University of Brasília, defended Bolsonaro's rule in his interview with the "From Washington" program, saying that what threatens Brazilian democracy is corruption, and indicated that the current President da Silva is convicted of corruption and money laundering cases.
He believed that the military rulers in Latin America learned harsh lessons when they ruled, and that the military institution responded to the democratic point of view, given the events of January 8 in Brazil.
On the other hand, Santiago Mitri, director of the film "Argentina 1985", spoke to the "From Washington" program about the film, and said that it proves that history interests many.
The former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, also spoke about the importance of the film and its ability to reach the minds of people in Argentina.