Brazil president Bolsonaro says military will not remove elected president

Brasilia, June 16

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that the country’s military would not obey any order to remove an elected president, deepening a war of words with the judicial branch that has led to fears of threats to democracy in the country.

Speaking during a radio interview, the far-right former army captain said the armed forces would not accept “a political judgment to remove a democratically elected president.”

He added: “Us, military men from the armed forces, and I’m also a military man, hold the true responsibility for democracy in our country. We would never follow absurd orders.”

Bolsonaro’s comments echoed a similar statement, released on Friday and co-signed by Vice President Hamilton Mourão and Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo, that have sparked concerns over a looming constitutional battle between Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Supreme Court.

The court is overseeing a probe into whether Bolsonaro illegally interfered in Federal Police appointments, and another investigation into an alleged pro-Bolsonaro disinformation campaign on social media.

Bolsonaro is also facing multiple impeachment proposals in Congress.

This all comes as Brazil has become the world No. 2 coronavirus hot spot, with nearly 44,000 deaths.

During the interview, Bolsonaro also spoke about legislative matters, saying that undertaking a tax reform was tricky, and the government was looking into how to design a proposal that could pass Congress. — Reuters