MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's Bicentennial Celebrations: Bolsonaro says he will defeat evil

“We are here because we believe in our people and our people believe in God,” said Bolsonaro, who prayed together with thousands. Photo: Carl de Souza / AFP

Jair Bolsonaro Wednesday presided over the festivities marking the 200th Anniversary of Brazil's Independence from Portugal and seized the opportunity to fire a verbal diatribe against Workers' Party (PT) leader Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva. whom he shall face in next month's elections.

The incumbent head of state was first applauded by a crowd in Brasilia, where the heads of the Legislative and Judiciary were not present despite tradition indicating otherwise.

There were several personalities present, but none of them was Senate Speaker Rodrigo Pacheco, Lower House Speaker Arthur Lira, or Supreme Federal Court (STF) Chief Justice Luiz Fux, who usually attend Independence Day Parades.

“The will of the people will be present on October 2, let's all go to vote” in elections pitting ”good against evil, the evil that lasted for 14 years in the country (PT governments),“ the President said. ”You know how close we were to the abyss“ during the PT administrations, he insisted.

Bolsonaro then compared his wife Michelle Bolsonaro, whom he described as a ”princess“ and Rosángela ”Janja“ da Silva, Lula's wife. In addition to the First Lady, also present were Bolsonaro's vice presidential candidate, General Walter Souza Braga Netto, Pastor Silas Malafaia, and incumbent Vice President Hamilton Mourao, among others.

Mrs. Bolsonaro also spoke: ”We are here fighting for the greater good which is our family and our freedom, for principles and values that God established on earth, to fight for [our] nation, the enemy will not win,” she said to sound applause.

A propósito del Bicentenario de la Independencia de Brasil, miles de personas se volcaron en Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Río de Janeiro y otras localidades del país para manifestar su apoyo a la reelección del presidente Jair Bolsonaro, para las elecciones del 2 de octubre. pic.twitter.com/GY8mkgW7B4

— PanAm Post Español (@PanAmPost_es) September 7, 2022

President Bolsonaro also pointed out that “we all know what the Supreme Federal Court is,” at which point the public began to boo the STF. Some people held up signs against the Court and Justice Alexandre De Moraes. Nevertheless, Bolsonaro insisted he would “play within the four lines of the Constitution”.

According to CNN Brazil, two STF Judges who asked not to be named said that Wednesday's speech was less aggressive than the one Bolsonaro gave on September 7, 2021.

Bolsonaro shared breakfast with politicians and religious leaders at the Alvorada Palace, during which he reportedly spoke of the possibility of repeating the 1964 coup d'état. ”Brazil already went through difficult times in 1922 (lieutenants' revolt), in 1935 (communist rebellion), that of 64 (1964, military coup), history can repeat itself, good always defeated evil,“ Bolsonaro was quoted as saying. ”We are here because we believe in our people and our people believe in God.” After 1964, a dictatorship was installed until 1985.