Talk of military takeover in Brazil grows

Terrence McCoy and Heloísa Traiano, The Washington Post
Published 7:02 am EDT, Tuesday, May 12, 2020

RIO DE JANEIRO - Flipping through the news several weeks ago, Carlos de Lima Belucio grew alarmed. People were panicking over a strange new disease. Other countries were locking down. Then it hit him: There was only one way to save the country. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had to stage a military takeover.

Ignoring warnings to stay inside, Belucio began joining demonstrations urging Brazil's armed forces to remove the institutions that impede Bolsonaro's rule. Using violence, if need be. The country, he said, must stay open.

"The pandemic is just a smokescreen," said Belucio, 43, who lives in the northern city of Belém. "With a military regime, it would all be better."

As Latin America's largest nation grapples with its gravest health and economic challenges in a generation, and Bolsonaro flounders under the pressure, the specter of the armed forces is looming larger over public life than at any time since the fall of the military dictatorship in 1985.

As scandals have engulfed his presidency, the right-wing populist, a and former Army captain, has broadened the portfolios of the generals and former generals in his administration, allowing one to introduce a large economic aid package, undercutting his own finance minister. His most radical supporters are urging a military takeover of the government - and Bolsonaro has attended their rallies, amplifying their calls.

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