Democracy in Brazil has always been an uphill battle since breaking from military control in 1988. Brazil founded a constitution which typically protects many Brazilians basic rights. With the recent years though, Brazil’s democracy is in question. Also, with the recent demagogue they had in office, President Bolsonaro, many Brazilians are heavily divided in their own country because of his populist and divisive rhetoric. With the recent attack of Brazil’s capital in early 2023 by Bolsonaro supporters, who believed that the election was rigged against Bolsonaro, many are wondering if Brazil’s democracy will even bounce back if this division and disinformation that’s currently happening in Brazil occurring keeps up.

           The attack on Brazil’s capitol was a stain on its democracy and democratic principles. The spread of disinformation is a key cause of Brazil’s conspiracy theories that have been gaining traction and what also was part of the capitol attack in Brazil. According to Nicas, many Bolsonaro’s are spewing disinformation about Bolsonaro’s election loss through apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. This is a problem we face in the United States as well, were we have “election deniers”, who still falsely belief through disinformation that the 2020 election was stolen. Lack of trust in our institutions, elections, and government leads to downfalls in democracies, which Brazil is facing as we speak. Nicas further explains that right wing extremism is a huge threat in Brazil and continues to be, he goes on to say that many of them led the charge in spreading the disinformation about Bolsonaro’s election loss. There are many similarities between President Bolsonaro and President Trump in the United States. They both tried to overturn their election losses, they both tried to spread disinformation about the elections, and they both used weaponized communication to try to convince their followers that the election. Bolsonaro has displayed anti-democratic behavior and instilled distrust in his supporters throughout the country about Brazil’s own respective election system. According to the New York Times, “Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist former president, has led Mr. Bolsonaro in polls for months, while Mr. Bolsonaro has been telling the country, without any evidence, that his rivals are trying to rig the vote (Nicas and Spigariol, 2022).” He was instilling doubt in the election process and Democratic principles of Brazil. Bolsonaro not only stained democracy through creating disinformation on the elections in Brazil, but he also wanted to unravel the norms and rules of the Judiciary system in Brazil as well. According to Nicas and Spigariol, President Bolsonaro had he may would have packed the court if he was re-elected again, which would create a form of erosion and backsliding in Brazil’s Democracy.

(President Bolsonaro and Mr. Moraes greeting one another) Credit: New York Times

         President Bolsonaro handling of COVID was disastrous and many argued that his mishandling of the pandemic caused infringements on rights and social liberties. I’ve been comparing President Trump and President Bolsonaro in how they have used tactics to divide and polarize. There is a distinct difference when it comes to vaccines between Donald Trump and President Bolsonaro. At least Donald Trump went along with the science and got the vaccine whereas according to Londono, President Bolsonaro made the decision to not be vaccinated and stated that in front of the UN General Assembly. Fast forward to two years later where President Bolsonaro’s house was raided due to faking vaccine records. According to the New York Times, “The Brazilian police raided the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday and seized his cellphone as part of a sweeping investigation into forged Covid-19 vaccination records that may have allowed him and his top aides to gain entry into the United States (Milhorance and Ionova, 2023).” He not only is divisive, but also is corrupt in so many ways. Recently, the government is advancing a push to criminally charge President Bolsonaro for falsifying his vaccination card. According to Nicas they are waiting on confirmation from the United States Justice Department.        

            Brazil’s democracy in many ways is in shambles. The question is, will the nation be able to unite and heal? Brazil faces many problems, especially when we see a risen momentum of right-wing extremism in Brazil. Pushed by conspiracy theories and widely disinformation, the growth of WhatsApp and Telegram comes into question as to if the Brazilian Government should regulate these apps. Now with the outlook of the 2026 election, who will the next face of the far right in Brazil be? Will there be another Bolsonaro? Since he is now banned from running for office for the next 8 years. With criminal charges potentially incriminating former President Bolsonaro, how will right wing extremists act? Will they potentially make him a martyr like they are doing with for President Trump in the United States, or will they revolt with violence like they did at Brazil’s capital over a year ago? Will Brazil continue to falter as polarization increases?