Brazilian democracy in the aftermath of 8 January

On 8 January 2023, far-right supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress in Brasilia. The events, widely acknowledged as echoing the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, took place only a week after the inauguration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as President of Brazil for the third time; Bolsonaro, who did not concede defeat in the October 2022 election, was notably absent from the inauguration. Brazil is one of the biggest democracies in the world, albeit a relatively young one, and the largest in Latin America. Yet, experts have pointed to a crisis of trust in democracy throughout the past decade, due – among other things – to corruption and failure by successive governments to provide public goods. The events have raised concerns about democracy in Brazil and globally, and have reinforced the risks born from a climate of heightened polarisation. They have also highlighted the inflammatory role of social media and the need to address societal divisions. The European Union has condemned the anti-democratic acts of violence, reiterated its full support for President Lula Da Silva, and for the Brazilian democratic system, and expressed solidarity with the democratic institutions targeted by this attack. On 19 January 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution also expressing solidarity with the Lula government and Brazilian institutions and urging supporters of ex-President Bolsonaro to accept the democratic outcome of the elections. Parliament also welcomed the investigation to identify and prosecute those involved and highlighted a recent decision taken by the Brazilian Supreme Court to approve the federal prosecutors' request to investigate Bolsonaro.