Could Bolsonaro be impeached? Brazil’s leader under intensifying pressure over coronavirus denial
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has sparked public outcry over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, with a movement to impeach the right-wing nationalist leader gaining popular support.
The president of Latin America’s largest economy has repeatedly played down the threat of the pandemic, dismissing it as a “little flu” and condemning state governors for imposing lockdowns that are causing job losses.
He has also contradicted his own health minister’s advice over self-isolation and social distancing, encouraging people to end their time in quarantine and return to work.
All but three of Brazil’s 27 states have refused to relax lockdown measures, and citizens in many urban centers can be heard banging pots and pans from their homes each evening as an act of protest to the president’s demands.
“Mr. Bolsonaro’s actions leave him politically isolated in government … and this has already led to calls for his impeachment,” Robert Wood, principal economist and Latin America specialist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said in an email.
“There is about a 20% chance at this stage,” said Jimena Blanco, head of Latin America at Verisk Maplecroft. “But, if we fast forward two or three months and see the kind of spike in cases that we are seeing in Europe right now, I think the chances of impeachment would increase significantly.”
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