Pressure brews in the National Congress of Brazil for an investigation into the contentious event that shook the world earlier this year.
The National Congress of Brazil has opened an inquiry on the January 8 Event.
On January 8, Governmental Buildings in Brazilla, the capital of Brazil were stormed by the supporters of the former president, Jair Bolensenaro. The protestors denied the electoral victory of the Current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
A joint session was conducted in which political parties started to select the members of the committee which will consist of a total of 32 members, 16 members from both chambers. However, the political parties are still in conflict regarding the appointment of the chair and rapporteur of the committee, with the Partido Liberal (Liberal Party) pushing to have the chair position in the committee. The party also proposed the names of Eduardo Bolsonaro, Former President Bolensenaro’s Son and former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem as members of the congressional committee.
Storm Down of the Capital
On January 8, Supporters of Bolsonaro invaded and defaced several buildings which included the Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in the capital of Brazil. A trail of Rampage was seen where furniture was thrown to smash the windows of the Presidential Palace and ceremonial rooms of the supreme court were ruined. It was also discovered that several parts of the Congress were flooded via a sprinkler system.
This event was a major part of a series of protests from the Brazilian Far-Right Leader’s supporters who called the 2022 Presidential Elections “Fraudulent” and “Illegitimate”. These protests were held in major cities like Sao Paulo and Rio Di Janeiro after the announcement of the election results.
A large number of the supporters even set a camp in front of the Military Headquarters and urged the army to stage a coup against the newly elected government, which was rejected by a statement from the Ministry of Defence.
Global Leaders condemned the activities that took place in the country which also include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. Ministerial-level statements were given by countries like Peru, Uruguay and Costa Rica. Several Supranational Organizations like the European Union and the Organization of American States, the latter of which Brazil is a member, also shared their statements on the situation as well.
Currently, The demonstrations are being investigated by the Supreme Court, Public Prosecutors and the Federal Police. Several leaders including the former President are participating in the investigation. An estimated 800 individuals can face charges for vandalism and defending a military coup.
Possibility of a Distraction Strategy
President Lula and his party hoped to avoid the congressional committee and wanted to leave investigations to law enforcement and other related branches. However, the opposition party pushed for the formation of the committee as a strategy to blame the current government for the security failures in the capital of the country.
The government has concerns about this action taking a more political direction, bringing back the protests against the government and distracting the discussion on the possible fiscal reforms to mitigate the piling up of public debt and management of the social programmes in the country.
This political discourse in the country could have a negative impact on the country’s position as an emerging power in the global ecosystem and might diminish the influence of the country in South America, providing an opportunity for other countries to gain a prominent position in the regional dynamics.
