Bolsonaro calls on supporters to demonstrate as campaign stalls

RIO DE JANEIRO: President Jair Bolsonaro called on his followers to take to the streets during Brazil’s Independence Day celebrations, betting on a large show of popular support to boost his stagnated re-election campaign less than a month before the vote.

With investors monitoring September 7 demonstrations as a gauge of potential post-election turmoil, the right-wing president said on Tuesday that peaceful events will take place across the country even as he continued to fan the flames against the nation’s top court and electoral authorities.

"A lot of things will happen in a peaceful way, but most importantly they will talk about clean elections,” Bolsonaro said during a TV interview, adding that Brazilians’ freedom is at stake during the October 2 vote. "We have no support from some Supreme Court justices, much to the contrary, some of them actively support criminals, showing we can become a lawless country.”

Brazil’s top court has become a frequent target of Bolsonaro since some of its justices started defending the country’s electronic voting system against baseless allegations of voter fraud, opening investigations into the spread of fake news by the president and his supporters. Last month, Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered police to search the homes of businesspeople who shared messages in a private WhatsApp group, defending a coup d’etat in case leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wins the election.

Bolsonaro said he invited such businesspeople to join him in September 7 celebrations, when military parades traditionally take place across the country. The former army captain will attend an event in Brasilia late in the morning before flying to Rio de Janeiro, where more demonstrations are expected.

Pressure on Bolsonaro is rising as opinion polls shows he is no longer closing the gap with Lula, who’s been leading the presidential race since the beginning. An IPEC survey published late on Monday showed the incumbent with 31% of voting intention, trailing his main challenger who would receive 44% of the votes.

Concern that Bolsonaro would mimic Donald Trump and try to overturn the election’s result in case he’s defeated continue to haunt electoral authorities, and even investors who have started to position themselves for the possibility -- still largely considered unlikely -- of post-election turmoil akin to the January 6 riots in the US.

During the interview, Bolsonaro mentioned recent elections of left-wing presidents across Latin America to ask whether Brazilians want the same to happen in their country. He said he’s been accused of being antidemocratic and a coup monger when voicing concerns like these. 

"But those who seek a coup don’t talk about it,” he said. "They just do it.”