In the previous administration, military personnel proliferated in civilian positions in government; in five days, Lula discharged nearly 100 soldiers
In the last four years that Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has led Brazil, the presence of military personnel in civilian positions has more than doubled, including occupying the main headquarters of the Ministry of Health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The scenario annoyed his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who promised, still in the campaign, that he would have to remove “nearly 8,000 members of the Armed Forces” from commissioned positions.
The petist seems committed to fulfilling his promise as soon as possible. As of this Sunday 22, almost a hundred soldiers had already been exempted from government posts, including the army commander himself, Júlio César de Arruda, who was sworn in at the end of last December.
See below five points to understand the conflict between Lula and the military:
1. Armed forces in public offices
One of the hallmarks of the Bolsonaro government has been the protagonism of the military in civil affairs. A clear example of this was the appointment of Eduardo Pazuello to the Ministry of Health, in one of the most critical moments of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By 2021, the number of members of the Armed Forces in civilian positions had already more than doubled from the previous administration. By the end of Bolsonaro’s term, some 8,000 names had been nominated.
2. Scam orders
The situation of the military in government has become even more tense after the end of the presidential elections, when the Bolsonarists began to appeal to the Armed Forces for a military intervention, removing the elected president, Lula.
Speeches were supported, often subtly, by low-ranking military or reserve members. A sailor stationed at the GSI (responsible for the personal safety of the President of the Republic, the Vice President and their family members) even recorded a video in an undemocratic act saying “to be sure” that Lula would not “go up the ramp”.
3 – Coup camps
Bolsonarists even camped out for three months in front of barracks across the country calling for support for the coup. The scenario, which was already distrusted by Lula, has become even more critical with the blind support of a part of the population.
4 – Terrorism in Brasilia
There is no way to forget January 8 in Brasilia, when hundreds of Bolsonaristas invaded the headquarters of the Three Powers and destroyed the buildings. The lack of containment action to prevent the mass attack drew the attention of the PT and its allies.
During breakfast with reporters in Planalto three days later, Lula said that the door to the presidential palace had been “opened to let these people in,” referring to the coup plotters.
On the occasion, the president clarified that he understood that the entry of the invaders was facilitated and said that there were “people of the Armed Forces in here colluded” with the looting of the place.
5 – Commander upset
The dismissal of 80 government soldiers in just five days appears to have been determined by a conflict involving Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, assistant to Jair Bolsonaro (PL) over the past four years.
Also in May 2022, with Bolsonaro, Cid was chosen to command the 1st Actions and Commands Battalion, Special Operations unit, but he will only take over in February this year. Given the alignment of the former aide-de-camp with the former president, however, Planalto had already indicated that he expected Arruda to cancel the appointment.
Lula ordered the immediate removal of the lieutenant colonel from battalion command. Arruda, however, refused to comply with the order. Cid is also being investigated by the STF and the then general would have already clarified that he would not have accepted a possible arrest warrant against the other soldier.
Thus, without a climate of conciliation, Lula decided to exonerate the then general and change the command of the Army.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
