By Satyaki Chakraborty
Brazil witnessed massive demonstrations in all big towns across the country on Saturday demanding the impeachment of the far right President Jair Bolsonaro for his all round failure in protecting the lives of the citizens against covid and drastic fall in the living standards of the common masses. There were demands for his jailing for corruption also, currently under investigation by the courts.
“We have come to shout at the top of our voices: Bolsonaro’s place is behind bars,” Democratic Labour Party president Carlos Lupi told thousands at a rally in Rio de Janeiro. Communist Party of Brazil congresswoman Jandira Feghali called for a broad coalition against Mr Bolsonaro’s “fascist administration.”At least “600,000 lives have been lost,” she said. “We can wait no longer. It is time for us to scream out loud: ‘Bolsonaro out now!’”
In Sao Paolo, ABC Metalworkers Union president Wagner Santana praised “the beauty of people who are here fighting for a better Brazil, a Brazil without hunger.”He slammed the government for conditions which see 14 million unemployed and “more than 100 million who don’t know what they’re going to eat the next day.”
Demonstrations took place in at least 160 towns and cities across the country , the biggest display of dissatisfaction with Mr Bolsonaro since he came to power in 2019.Bolsonaro, the former army captain has seen his approval ratings plummet due to the country’s deepening economic crisis while he and members of his family are under investigation over corruption and hindering the country’s fight against coronavirus.
Around 61 per cent of Brazilians described his government’s performance as bad or very bad, up from 23 per cent when he first took office, according to an Atlas Institute survey. More than 100 requests have been filed for Mr Bolsonaro’s impeachment, but they have not been acted on by the head of the country’s Chamber of Deputies
The political situation in Brazil has become volatile as the former President Lula is taking active participation in leading the political rallies and under his guidance the Workers Party is the front runner among the political parties which are preparing for the presidential elections next year Lula is expected to contest as the presidential candidate of the left opposition and the latest opinion polls suggest that he has a big lead over any other candidate of the right wing.
Only recently, a leftist president got elected in Peru defeating the rightwing candidate who was supported by the big business as also the US companies based in Peru. Nicaragua is going for presidential elections in November this year, Current president Daniel Ortega is again contesting as the candidate of his leftwing party and all indications suggest that he will win this time also. Both Peru and Nicaragua are small countries compared to Brazil. That way the Brazil elections in 2022 will be crucial for the future progress of Latin American Left. (IPA Service)