Tension at the Supreme Court: Fux's possible request for review has generated apprehension in Bolsonaro's trial.
Ministers feared that Luiz Fux would break the agreement, change his position, and paralyze the analysis of the coup plot.
247 - The trial of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the Supreme Federal Court (STF), for his involvement in the coup plot, was marked by moments of strong tension. According to Bela Megale, from the newspaper The GlobeThe biggest concern for the ministers of the First Panel was the risk that Minister Luiz Fux might request a review and suspend the proceedings—something he had previously indicated he would not do. Even so, the possibility of a change in stance permeated every session of the case.
The most worrying episode occurred on Wednesday (10), when Fux surprised his colleagues by denying the existence of an attempted coup d'état and attacks on institutions, despite having previously reported the threats he faced during his tenure as president of the STF.
Contradictions and mistrust
Fux's stance generated discomfort among his colleagues, mainly because it contrasted with the minister's own previous decisions in more than 400 cases related to January 8th. Furthermore, statements interpreted as direct criticisms of other magistrates, especially Alexandre de Moraes, increased the tension behind the scenes.
Even when faced with the need to respond firmly to Fux's arguments, the president of the First Panel, Cristiano Zanin, and the other justices — Alexandre de Moraes, Cármen Lúcia, and Flávio Dino — chose not to interrupt his speech, complying with a request made by the justice himself about a week before the trial. The concern was that any intervention would be used as justification for a request for a review.
Strategy to prolong the vote
Fux's speech, which lasted for more than 13 hours, was interpreted as an attempt to "win by exhaustion." The ministers assessed that the strategy aimed to prolong the session in order to divide the vote over two days, guaranteeing greater repercussion. Given this, Zanin and the others decided to extend Wednesday's proceedings until Fux concluded his statement.
Only on Thursday (11), with the votes of Cármen Lúcia and Zanin, was the conviction of Bolsonaro and the other defendants consolidated. It was then that the fear of a maneuver that could delay or suspend the trial dissipated.
