In the aftermath of the unprecedented protest in Brazil, the country’s Supreme Court on Sunday expelled the governor of Brasilia for three months for failing to fix the security lapses in the capital.
The action was taken after around 3000 pro-Bolsonaro protestors barged into the presidential palace, Supreme Court and the Congress on Sunday against Lula being elected as president.
Brazilian authorities have begun investigating the worst attack on the country’s institutions since democracy was restored four decades ago, with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowing to bring those responsible for the riot to justice, reported Reuters.
Lula, in a press conference, launched a blistering attack on Bolsonaro and complained about a lack of security in the capital.
“These vandals, who we could call fanatical Nazis, fanatical Stalinists … fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country,” said Lula, who was on an official trip to Sao Paulo state. “All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished,” Lula was quoted as saying by the news agency Reuters.
Last year, after losing the most fraught Brazil elections to his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro challenged the election. The supporters of Bolsonaro had filed a complaint with the country’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) seeking ‘extraordinary verification’ of the election results.
The Liberal party has asked the court to reject ballots from certain voting machines, which it claims were compromised during the second round. The court has now given the party 24 hours to amend its petition, to include the first round of voting.
Lula took office as President of Brazil on January 1 for a third term and became the 39th president of Brazil.
The invasion, which recalled the assault on the U.S. Capitol two years ago by backers of former President Donald Trump, was condemned by world leaders, from U.S. President Joe Biden to European leaders and Latin American heads of state.
“The violent attacks on democratic institutions are an attack on democracy that cannot be tolerated,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned any bid to undermine the peaceful transfer of power.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia condemned “in the strongest terms” the actions of those who instigated the disorder.
Brazilian markets are expected to take a knock when they open on Monday.
