Brazilian Opposition Calls for Demonstrations Against Bolsonaro's 2022 Bid - Politician

RIO DE JANEIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2021) The Brazilian opposition has called for demonstrations against President Jair Bolsonaro's candidature for the 2022 presidential elections, Magno Francisco, who represents left-leaning national directory of Popular Unity (UP), told Sputnik.

"On the 29th, a new cycle of struggles to overthrow the Bolsonaro government has started," Francisco said, adding that the objective is to gather millions of protesters, surpassing the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets last Saturday.

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011), a more than likely candidate and favorite in the polls, repeated on several occasions that he is eager to tour the country and listen to the wishes of the population regarding vaccination against COVID-19. However, various social movements' members think it is not possible to wait for the electoral year to start protesting against Bolsonaro. That is why these people have formed a group "Povo na rua fora Bolsonaro," or "People to the streets, Bolsonaro out."

"Some sectors advocate that we would have to wait for 2022 [to go out on the streets] when everyone is vaccinated, but transferring the solution to the chaotic situation we will live in till 2022 is a gigantic error.

We have no guarantee that the country's political process will be normal, as Bolsonaro has dictatorial tics," Francisco said in an interview.

Francisco said while the example of Colombia gripped by nationwide protests is inspiring, he recalled that last year, during the pandemic, Brazil also went through various anti-racist and anti-fascist protests that contributed to curbing of the pro-Bolsonaro demonstrations.

"The struggles of the peoples of Chile and Colombia are expressions of popular dissatisfaction with neoliberal measures; in Brazil, Bolsonaro's proto-fascism is combined with neoliberalism that wants to reissue Pinochet's Chile," the UP leader warns.

The May 29 demonstrations against Bolsonaro were promoted, above all, by members of this party and some social movements such as the Popular Brazil Front, mainly made up of the representatives of the Workers' Party; the Fearless People front with the members of Socialism and Freedom Party; and the Forum in Defense of Democratic Rights and Freedoms. The organizers of demonstrations are holding several assemblies and meetings this week to choose the next date, but at the moment it has already been decided that the next protest act against the government will be held before the end of June.