BRASILIA, Brazil (LifeSiteNews) — During remarks made to supporters outside his official residence last Friday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro seemed to float the possibility that the military may prevent socialist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from being installed as the embattled country’s next president. Silva, who was certified the winner by the electoral court Monday, is alleged to have beaten the more conservative Bolsonaro 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent on October 30.
“It is you, the people, who will decide my future and what the Armed Forces will do,” Bolsonaro said during a 15 minute speech at Alvorada Palace. “God willing, everything will work out at the right time … the Armed Forces, rest assured, are united, the Armed Forces owe loyalty to our people. They owe respect to the Constitution.”
“I am prepared to give my life for my country.”
@jairbolsonaro told brave Brazilian patriots today in #brasiliaThe world stands with Brazil!#BrazilianSpring #BrazilWasStolen pic.twitter.com/H9r7k8znJo
— Alexander Tschugguel (@ATschugguel) December 10, 2022
Article 142 of the Brazilian Constitution empowers the military to bring law and order to the country when such a need arises. Bolsonaro’s supporters claim the Supreme Court’s decision to vacate the past crimes and commute the prison term of Lula was an overt act of corruption, and that in doing so it illegally helped propel him to victory. They also accuse chief elections judge Alexandre de Moraes of being a political pawn of Lula, as evidenced by his censoring of conservatives on social media and by his decision to freeze the bank accounts of truckers who protested the race’s outcome.
Liberal critics say that if Article 142 is to be invoked it would be tantamount to establishing a dictatorship. However, Bolsonaro’s backers argue it would be a necessary patriotic measure to prevent the subjugation of Brazil to the global “deep state” and the growing influence of China in the western hemisphere.
Investigative journalist Matthew Tyrmand has speculated that the military is waiting until the court’s “fraudulent certification” takes place today, December 12, in order to invoke Article 142.
Yes. Hopefully tomorrow after the fraudulent certification- when crime of coup attempt is executed in full. It’s @FFAABrasil @DefesaGovBr to protect 🇧🇷from actual coups just as it is to do so from invading armies. And many in @LulaOficial camp are🇨🇳fifth columns- so time to act. https://t.co/xz41CKgEuS
— Matthew Tyrmand (@MatthewTyrmand) December 12, 2022
For the last forty-one days, what appears to be tens of millions of protesters have taken to the streets of almost every major city in Brazil. Their view is that the election was stolen from Bolsonaro in a way not dissimilar to how the 2020 US presidential election was carried out against Donald Trump. Tyrmand has called it the biggest political protest in history. Some journalists are reporting that the military is already being mobilized.
🇬🇧 ALERT BRAZIL: The majority of population is in Brasilia protesting AGAINST Lula, a 12 years convicted corrupt taking power through fraud on elections. But the media are using the images to manipulate the public opinion, as if people are there SUPPORTING Lula #BrazilianSpring pic.twitter.com/AosIy53ho0
— Will Lisil 🇬🇧🇧🇷 (@WillLisil) December 12, 2022
According to a translation of Bolsonaro’s remarks that appeared on Gateway Pundit, the president told protesters that the Armed Forces are “the last bastion against socialism. They are loyal to the Brazilian people.”
“Everyone knows what happened over the last four years and what the Supreme Electoral Court has said. What is happening in our country is absurd,” he exclaimed, adding that this “hurts my soul.”
To date, Bolsonaro has not yet explicitly conceded the race and has only spoken publicly about the election results twice, and even then, only in vague terms, though he did file a lawsuit alleging voting machine irregularities. Left-wing justice Alexandre de Moraes subsequently tossed out his challenge.
Bolsonaro concluded his remarks to the enthusiastic crowd by stating that he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for them.
“I will give my life for my country!… We are going to change everything in our nation!… Nothing is by chance, each one of us has a mission here on earth given by Our God!”