Brazil Unease Rises Before Vote as Ex-Lawmaker Fights Arrest

Matthew Malinowski
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s political tensions soared at the start of the final week before a cut-throat presidential runoff as a onetime lawmaker resisted arrest and got into a gun battle with police carrying out a court order.

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Former lower house deputy Roberto Jefferson threw a grenade at officers who arrived at his residence in Rio de Janeiro state on Sunday, the federal police wrote in a statement. He was taken into custody in the evening after an hours-long standoff and an initial pledge that he would defy law enforcement.

Alexandre de Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who also heads the electoral court, had ordered Jefferson’s detainment after he verbally attacked Carmen Lucia, another top court justice, in a video posted on social media. Jefferson was already under house arrest and forbidden from using social networks after having made threats to institutions including the Supreme Court.

Police said Jefferson would now also face accusations of attempted murder.

The incident comes amid deep polarization in Latin America’s largest economy at the end of a bitter campaign before the Oct. 30 presidential runoff. Major polls out last week showed contenders Jair Bolsonaro and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in or near a technical tie.

As the vote nears, authorities are also rushing to combat misinformation and violence on social networks. At the same time, the electoral court faced censorship accusations by Bolsonaro supporters for ordering the removal of online content.

Two officers were injured by grenade explosions, according to the police statement. They received medical care and were later released.

Both Bolsonaro and Lula moved to criticize Jefferson’s actions and his insults against Justice Lucia, which included profanities. The incumbent said whoever shoots at police is a criminal, while his leftist challenger said Jefferson’s behavior was not “normal” and that the current president had stoked hatred in society.

Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly attacked the Supreme Court while in office, also questioned “probes that aren’t supported by the constitution.”

Earlier this year, Jefferson was barred from running for the presidency.

Sao Paulo

Sunday’s incident came as the rival candidates traded barbs in the nation’s most populous state amid a last-minute appeal to voters.

The government raised payouts in its social program Auxilio Brasil and added millions of people as beneficiaries, Bolsonaro said before a packed Evangelical church in the state of Sao Paulo, where he has held activities since Oct. 20. He said the political left doesn’t respect private property and families.

Speaking to press in the afternoon, Lula said his campaign will focus in coming days on explaining plans to strengthen the economy, boost employment and combat inflation. He said he’s been victim of fake news and that the nation’s democracy is at stake.

Bolsonaro is working to hold on to Sao Paulo after unexpectedly winning the state in the first round earlier this month. It’s arguably the nation’s most important electoral prize, as it is home to about 25% of all voters and also represents a third of the entire economy.

By the end of the day, Jefferson’s actions dominated national attention and sparked fresh warnings from lawmakers.

“Brazil has been terrified by Sunday’s actions, which reached the peak of the absurd,” lower house President Arthur Lira wrote on Twitter. “We won’t allow any setbacks or attacks on our democracy.”

--With assistance from Daniel Carvalho.

(Updates with Jefferson being taken into custody in 2nd paragraph)

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