Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, faces the most significant threat yet to his hold on power. With the country on route to becoming the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, you might think that the spiralling rate of infections and fatalities is what threatens his presidency. You would be wrong. While criticism of his colossal mishandling of the pandemic is mounting, the president and several family members could soon be heading to jail for entirely different reasons.
The scope of the President's alleged misdeeds are breathtaking. Bolsonaro is facing no fewer than 35 depositions for his impeachment and is being investigated by the supreme court, the electoral commission and Congress for over 20 separate alleged crimes. His three sons are also under investigation for everything from money laundering to dissemination of hate and fake news.
When Bolsonaro was elected in late 2018, some of his elite supporters hoped that his authoritarian impulses would be tamed by his cabinet, especially his neo-liberal finance minister, corruption-fighting justice minister and a host of conservative generals. If that failed, the experts were convinced that the legislature and judiciary would bring stability to the government. No such luck. Moderates were jettisoned and polarization intensified, poisoning the democratic process.
