Bolsonaro in Court: Brazil Achieves Where the U.S. Failed

Tagesspiegel Bolsonaro in Court: Brazil Achieves Where the U.S. Failed Laura Dahmer • 15 hours • 3 minutes read Right-wing extremist Jair Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly plotting a coup. The decisive action of the Brazilian judiciary should serve as a model. Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro must answer to the court. The charges: attempted coup and planning an assassination attempt. The focus on the USA spreads a daily doomsday mood. Together with tech billionaire Elon Musk, President Donald Trump is taking a chainsaw to the country's democratic institutions. The U.S. judiciary repeatedly tries to put a stop to his arbitrary actions. But Trump is increasingly attacking the rule of law. His administration threatens judges with impeachment and ignores court orders. Even before his second term, there were charges, proceedings, and even a court ruling against Trump. But none of this has harmed him. The seditious rioter prevailed and was able to escape punishment. At this point, it's worth taking a look at Brazil. There, the judiciary seems to be achieving what the US judiciary has so far failed to do. The country's Supreme Court is initiating proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro – for involvement in a coup attempt and assassination plots against incumbent President Lula da Silva. This could indeed be dangerous for the former head of state. Bolsonaro as "Tropical Trump" Bolsonaro and Trump have a lot in common. They are populists, they are right-wing extremists, and they share an autocratic understanding of government. The two are brothers in spirit, and their supporters idolize them like messiahs. Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon called Brazil's former president "Tropical Trump" for good reason. Like Trump, Bolsonaro refused to admit his 2022 election defeat to Lula da Silva. Like Trump, he incited his supporters against their country's democratic institutions. Almost exactly two years to the day after the storming of the Capitol in Washington, on January 8, 2023, the "Bolsonaristas" stormed the government district of the capital, Brasilia. Like Trump, Bolsonaro still refuses to take responsibility for this. But the Brazilian judiciary isn't doing him that favor. A conviction is conceivable, and Bolsonaro could even end up in prison. Brazilian democracy is proving its strength these days. And it's not just the judiciary that distinguishes Brazil from the United States. The very day after the storming of the government district in Brasilia, politicians from across the country, together with President Lula and the President of the Constitutional Court, entered the very square the Bolsonaristas had stormed the day before. Brazil is showing how to curb autocratic tendencies with democratic means – recommended for emulation. They wanted to send a signal: regardless of their party affiliation, regardless of the polarization in the country, they would defend democracy together. To this day, this day is commemorated as a warning. A signal that is missed from the USA, then as now. Bolsonaro cannot run for election until 2030 Perhaps Brazilians have also learned from the USA's mistakes. Courts barred Bolsonaro from all political office for seven years in 2023 for abuse of office. After the elections, while still president, he met with foreign diplomats to sow doubts about the Brazilian electoral system – and had the meeting broadcast live on television. Regardless of when and how the court's ruling on the attempted coup turns out, this means that Bolsonaro will not be able to run in the upcoming presidential elections in October 2026. And that's a good thing. Because a president who disregards his own democracy should not be able to continue to act unhindered. The USA had the same opportunity. A constitutional amendment prohibits people who participated in an insurrection from holding public office. But to enact this, a two-thirds majority in Congress is needed. In the USA, this majority doesn't exist. Because the Republicans didn't choose to protect their democracy, but chose Trump. This allowed him to run again – with the consequences we are all now feeling. The world's oldest democracy, the USA, still has a lot to learn from the comparatively young democracy of Brazil, which only freed itself from its last military dictatorship in 1985. Because the country is showing how to curb autocratic tendencies with democratic means – recommended for emulation.