Brazil’s Bolsonaro test drives a ‘stop the steal’ election strategy
From www.csmonitor.com
2021-08-30 19:42:00
Ana Ionova
Excerpt:
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro looked on approvingly earlier this month as armored vehicles snaked through the nation’s capital. But his military parade was controversial for its timing on the eve of a vote in Congress about election security in 2022 and for the signal it sends about Mr. Bolsonaro’s increasingly close ties to Brazil’s armed forces.
Having weathered the first year of a pandemic that Brazil is widely seen as mismanaging, Mr. Bolsonaro has seen his popularity fall to new lows this summer. As angry Brazilians take to the streets – at times calling for impeachment – he’s turned to sowing doubt about the trustworthiness of the 2022 presidential vote, echoing the strategy of former President Donald Trump in whipping up a disgruntled base.
These moves are calling into question the stability and independence of Brazil’s democratic institutions. They also represent a risky political calculation that could alienate moderates whose votes…