Red Dreams
Full Member
I hope you are right.I think he will try to erode the democratic institutions but I don't think he'll have time to do it in one term. So I think it's likely he will submit to fair elections the first time round, but the chances will diminish if he wins re-election. If he rides positives economic winds during his first term, he could very well be re-elected and have time to shape the system to his needs. I think he'll try to emulate Putin and Erdogan in becoming a strongman of an autocratic state that controls the media and the opposition while maintaining a semblance of democracy and enjoying high popularity.
Also, even if you control the military that doesn't mean you can bypass democracy fully. Otherwise he would have done a military coup and not bother with elections. But obviously he would have had a very strong backlash both internationally and domestically. He is however now the democratically elected leader and any uprising will be deemed undemocratic and blamed on terrorists or foreign intelligence agencies etc. The usual playbook. But a strong excuse to come down hard.
Like I said, best option is to vote him out after first term. Trying to do it before that, it could get really bloody.
Most Brazilians are poor
They have suffered enough.