How Brazilian police say Bolsonaro plotted a coup to stay in office [View all]

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and ELÉONORE HUGHES
Updated 10:07 PM CST, November 29, 2024

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police in late November formally accused far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of planning a coup to keep him in office. The agency described a multi-step scheme, substantiated by evidence and testimony, in an 884-page report.

The plan included systematically sowing distrust of the electoral system among the populace, drafting a decree to give the plot a veneer of legal basis, pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan, and inciting a riot in the capital.

Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet will now decide whether to formally charge the accused parties, toss the investigation or request more testimony to understand each person’s participation in different parts of the alleged plot before deciding who stands trial on which counts. Bolsonaro and his main allies have denied any wrongdoing or involvement and accuse the authorities of political persecution.

Here is a breakdown of the plan’s key elements as laid out in the report and how they are supposedly connected.

Police allege that efforts to disseminate fake news about Brazil’s electronic voting system began in 2019, Bolsonaro’s first year in office, but were conducted more strategically and intensively as his 2022 reelection bid drew near.

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