Description: The coup trial of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has drawn sharp divisions among the country’s population as the trial nears its conclusion. In the latest development, after two Supreme Court Judges ruled in favor of imprisoning Bolsonaro for planning an attempted coup after the 2022 elections, Judge Luiz Fux voted to acquit Bolsonaro of all charges. Fux explained at length that there was not enough conclusive evidence to indict Bolsonaro as the alleged coup attempt never materialized. Bolsonaro’s trial also positioned US President Donald Trump in the conversation, after lobbying attempts from Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, materialized as the US heavily criticized incumbent President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, for staging a theater trial while sanctioning leading Supreme Court Judge, Alexandre Moraes. Bolsonaro was additionally accused of attempting to outright assassinate Lula and Moraes, using hitmen from the Brazilian special forces. Bolsonaro’s supporters and critics are widely divided, while his party, which holds majority in Parliament is pushing an initiative to grant the former President amnesty from all charges regarding the coup attempt.
Impact: Jair Bolsonaro’s trial could potentially plunge Brazil into a wide scale public unrest, creating broader political divisions within the nation and precipitating a potential political crisis, considering that Bolsonaro’s party still holds majority in Brazil’s parliament. President Lula is also facing external pressure from the US which has taken concrete steps in the form of sanctions and tariff threats to persuade the current Brazilian government to drop all charges against Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s critics are claiming that Brazil should avoid at any cost returning to its national roots of military dictatorship while the former President’s supporters are claiming that the current government is politically persecuting Bolsonaro. The heavily contested trial is expected to reach its conclusion this week, while the repercussions from the outcome could range from political crisis to a major transformation in Brazil’s relatively young democracy as the nation would completely sever ties to previous authoritarian national traditions.