French press highlights that Bolsonaro "seized Independence Day celebrations to campaign"
"The celebration, which should have been a great national holiday, was hijacked by Bolsonaro – not the head of state, but the candidate," says an editorial from the RTL television network.
RFI - The French press analyzes that the celebrations of the Bicentennial of Independence in Brazil "have turned into a huge electoral rally" for President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for re-election. With huge crowds, the commemorations represented an "impressive show of strength" for the president, but the risks of rejection of the October election results remain, according to the main newspapers in France.
“The celebration, which should have been a great national holiday, was hijacked by Bolsonaro – not the head of state, but the candidate. It’s as if a French president used July 14th to campaign,” compares the editorial from the RTL broadcaster. “Bolsonaro called on his supporters to demonstrate and parasitize the celebrations (…). Not even our populists are as vulgar as Bolsonaro,” the text says.
The newspaper Le Monde followed the events in Rio de Janeiro, which had been transformed into a "huge election rally." Sound trucks urged participants to "turn off the television" because "the press and the polls lie."
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The newspaper points out that, in the morning in Brasília, Bolsonaro himself had already questioned the results of the polls. The daily emphasizes that, on social media, Bolsonaro's supporters were striving, through doctored images, to prove that the polling institutes were mistaken about the results of the first round and even about participation in the Independence Day celebrations.
Despite delivering "more moderate" speeches throughout the day, by Bolsonaro's standards, the president "made a thinly veiled threat, declaring that 'history can repeat itself,' while discussing past insurrectionary movements, including the 1964 military coup."
"This year, the president refrained from calling for institutional rupture or challenging the electronic voting system. But his supporters did it for him and predicted the apocalypse 'if the communists' return to power," highlights Libération, which also has coverage in Rio de Janeiro.
Risks of violence remain.
“Stirring up the specter of the return of 'the reds' contributed heavily to Bolsonaro's success four years ago,” recalls the newspaper, which heard from Bolsonaro supporters that “if we don't win the election, it's because there was fraud.” “Buy a gun and ammunition! We'll have to take to the streets,” another said, according to Libération.
Le Monde says that “Brazil finally breathes a sigh of relief” after the date, as there were fears of coup attempts and acts of violence during the bicentennial celebrations of Independence. But “Bolsonaro’s show of force did not reassure the population about his intention to respect the presidential election in case of defeat,” the text states.
"After the government made it easier to buy weapons, the specter of political violence is frightening the country on the eve of the vote," Libération continues.
Newspapers highlight the fact that Bolsonaro placed businessman Luciano Hang by his side on the podium in Brasília, weeks after Hang was accused of inciting a coup d'état should Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva win. "As always, when Bolsonaro is mentioned, the coming days are uncertain and fraught with threats," notes Le Figaro.