Brazil’s former president gathers supporters in a bid to demonstrate political strength as investigations into alleged coup attempt gather pace.
Bolsonaro, who called the rally in Sao Paulo after being targeted by a police raid earlier this month, denied the coup charges on Sunday and hit out an election ban that has seen him barred from seeking office for eight years.
“What is a coup? Tanks in the streets, weapons, conspiracy. None of that happened in Brazil,” Bolsonaro told his supporters, who filled up six blocks of Sao Paulo’s iconic Paulista Avenue.
“We cannot accept that an authority can eliminate whoever it may be from the political scene, unless it is for a fair reason,” he said.
They also say he pressured military chiefs to join a coup attempt and plotted to jail a Supreme Court justice.
The former army officer is also facing several other investigations, such as the falsification of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, and the alleged misappropriation of gifts received from other nations, such as jewellery offered by Saudi Arabia.
Separately, hundreds of Bolsonaro’s supporters were also arrested and face charges for invading and ransacking Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress on January 8, 2023, a week after Lula took office.
Bolsonaro said on Sunday that he was being “persecuted” and that his draft decree was based on the constitution.
He also called for amnesty for people who took part in the January 8 riot.
