Protests in Brazil call to impeach President Jair Bolsonaro

World Today

 

Thousands of people returned to the streets on Saturday to stage a fourth round of protests calling the impeachment of Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. 

Demands for Bolsonaro’s removal were triggered by the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and accusations of corruption in vaccine purchases.

A senate committee is investigating the government’s overall pandemic response. At the same time, the Supreme Court has authorized a criminal investigation into the president for a deal to buy overpriced vaccines from India. Bolsonaro dismisses it as an opposition ploy to remove him from office.

The decision about whether or not to proceed with Bolsonaro’s impeachment is in the hands of Congress but most observers say the president’s future is likely to be decided by next year’s election and not before.