WILL BRAZIL'S GENERALS RETURN TO POWER? THEY SAY NO
By Andres Schipani & Joe Leahy
THE DAILY DOSE
NOV 20 2018
Brazils senior military leaders are moving to calm concerns that the incoming presidency of far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro will usher in the return of the armed forces to power in the worlds fourth-largest democracy.
The election of Bolsonaro, a former army captain who has expressed nostalgia for the countrys 196485 military dictatorship, did not represent a return of the military to power, says Gen. Eduardo Dias da Costa Villas Bôas, commander of the Brazilian army. The military has been absent from politics since 1985, after the end of the military government, and thats how it intends to maintain itself, independent of whether the president-elect is a retired captain from our Brazilian army, he adds.
Once a fringe dweller in Brazils Congress for his views endorsing the countrys former military rule, including its use of torture, Bolsonaro has sought to allay concerns about his democratic credentials after winning elections late last month. Although he has a strong base of far-right supporters, his victory was also seen as a referendum on the leftist Workers Party (PT), which was bidding for a fifth consecutive presidency.
The PT presided over the countrys worst recession, biggest corruption scandal and a rising homicide rate in its last years in power, leading many voters to favor Bolsonaros promises of greater security and a return to traditional family values.
More:
https://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/will-brazils-generals-return-to-power-they-say-no/90694