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Thousands of protesters across Brazil demonstrated against President Jair Bolsonaro this weekend as the populist leader was pressured over allegations of possible corruption in the recruitment of Covid-19 vaccines.
The rallies, which took place in at least 13 capital cities in the state, came a day after the Supreme Court authorized a criminal investigation into whether Bolsonaro committed the crime of “prevarication”, the abandonment of public duty. for reasons of personal interest.
Bolsonaro has been accused of failing to act on suspicion of wrongful acts after a Health Ministry complainant claimed to have personally raised his concerns about a $ 1.6 billion ($ 320 million) deal to acquire $ 20 million. Covaxin shots produced by India Bharat Biotech.
He scandal came to the fore after Luis Ricardo Miranda, head of the ministry’s import division, highlighted alleged irregularities in the bills. The official said he was pressured by a senior government official to carry out the orders.
Miranda and her brother, a federal deputy, testified last month in research at the congress that they had taken the matter to the Brazilian president and that he assured that he would raise the matter with the police. Federal police, however, say they did not receive any requests for investigation.
Ministers have denied irregularities in the Covaxin deal, which involved an intermediary company, insisting that no money has been paid as lots of the shots have not yet been handed over. Bolsonaro and Bharat have previously denied violations in the supply of Covaxin. The health ministry temporarily suspended the contract following the recommendation of the federal auditor.
With more than half a million lives lost Covid-19 in the most populous nation in Latin America, the controversy has become a political headache for the Bolsonaro administration. The return of protesters to the streets of major Brazilian cities increases pressure on the president ahead of his re-election campaign next year.
Many claim that the populist leader, who has criticized the blockades and despised the use of masks, has been negligent in his treatment of the pandemic.
“The ‘silent’ majority opposing the president has begun to take to the streets, led by the left, but with growing support from centrist voters. The wheels are turning sharply against the president,” said Mario Marconini, general manager. from Teneo to Brazil.
Political analysts, however, are skeptical about the potential impact of the probe. Any criminal charges filed against the president should garner the support of two-thirds of the lower house of Congress to continue, an unlikely outcome given Bolsonaro’s network of alliances in parliament.
“If the attorney general, appointed by Bolsonaro, decides that there is enough evidence to charge him, the Supreme Court will need the approval of the lower house to move forward and chamber president Arthur Lira can do nothing,” he said. Eduardo Mello, scientific politician of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, highlighting Bolsonaro’s alliance with Lira.
Last week, a group of left-wing and right-wing MPs filed a new indictment, but for now the outlook looks slim. The leader of the lower house of Congress, Lira, who has to approve any request, has so far given no indication of his willingness to initiate proceedings.
“Bolsonaro still maintains 25% approval at the polls and his allies in parliament are in a comfortable position,” said Lucas de Aragão, a partner at consulting firm Arko Advice. “This scandal is harmful, but not necessarily deadly.”
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