BRASIL: High Command surrounds Bolsonaro and imposes general as ‘operational president’

We publish an inofficial and preliminary translation of an article from A Nova Democracia regarding the recent development in Brasil:

General Braga Neto, officially Chief Minister of the Casa Civil, is the new president of Brazil. At least in fact. It will be up to him to personally direct and centralize all government management, “at least while the crisis lasts”, a decision that Bolsonaro and his group had to accept in a negotiation. The information was disseminated on the military website Defesanet.

The website says: "The new 'informal mission' [by Braga Neto] was the product of a 'top deal', involving ministers and military commanders and the President of the Republic himself". And he admits: "For many, Braga Neto's 'mission' is nothing more than an intervention or a military junta coordinating the government". Bolsonaro will be able to disagree and express himself contrary to the decisions and General Braga Neto will be able to openly correct him, thus foresees the agreement according to the website.

The "exchange of functions" information has already been passed - "with due care" - to the ministers and main "authorities", especially from the legislative and judicial branches. Braga Neto would have been presented as "chief operating officer". Among the military, the position is being called "Chief of Staff of the Plateau".

The website also says that the message from the army commander, General Edson Pujol, was interpreted as if it was aimed at the coronavirus. The website suggests another interpretation: “The gesture of the Strong Arm and the Friendly Hand shown in the video and the closing sentence taken from the Army song have transcendent meanings:‘ We will fight without fear! ’. The phrase ‘perhaps the most important mission of our generation’ was translated as the fight against Covid-19. For the most attentive, the message was clear ”. In a threatening tone, he continues: “The Brazilian Army will be ready and ready to defend the Brazilian State and Democratic Freedoms and above all the Nation”, he concludes.

In fact, the secret military government formed by generals at the key posts of the Planalto, a fact that the AND has denounced since the possession of the Bolsonaro / Mourão ticket, was already dictating the entire government policy, at least in fundamental aspects. Now, however, there is an important change: the generals consolidated at the negotiating table with Bolsonaro the political victories that they accumulated after a long work, that is, Bolsonaro's significant isolation in the political and military milieu and his undeniable wear and tear in public opinion . This was the work of months coordinated by the High Command of the Armed Forces, the civil right and the press monopoly, also exploring the center right for this purpose. This achievement is precisely to govern directly, without the need to handle Bolsonaro cautiously.

Although Bolsonaro was imposed on this condition, he did not submit completely from a political point of view and will seek to impose himself. He will continue, who knows how long, trying to regain ground. Against him is the blackmail of prison against his son and the shady ties that Bolsonarism has with “militias” (paramilitaries). It remains to be seen what the next weeks and months will be like.