Mourão dismisses coup attempt but argues Bolsonaro should have a free hand to govern.

247 - The hypothesis of a military coup was considered “totally out of place” by General Hamilton Mourão, Vice President of the Republic. This is what he stated in an interview with the newspaper Valor Econômico last Friday (29), before the radicalization of the weekend. In the same interview, he defended Bolsonaro: for him, it is necessary to let the “guy govern” so that he can be judged by the electorate in 2022. 

He defended the far-right government, characterizing it, however, as "center-right": "We were governed by the left and center-left, and now it's the center-right and some from the more extreme right. That's democratic alternation. Let this package pass. If it proves to work, he will be elected in 2022, and if it doesn't work, he will go to the dustbin of history. Let the group fulfill its task. If there's something you disagree with, then file a lawsuit or Congress can block it. Let's lower the tensions!"

Mourão stated that he is not concerned about pronouncements like that of General Augusto Heleno, who spoke of "unpredictable consequences for national stability" after the Supreme Court requested a statement from the Attorney General's Office regarding the seizure of President Jair Bolsonaro's cell phone. "It's inflammatory rhetoric from both sides. There's a kind of organized cheering atmosphere for everything," Mourão said. 

After the interview, when consulted by Valor this Sunday (31) about the demonstrations, he sent the following note: “As long as the powers of the authorities are being respected, the decisions of the authorities are being obeyed and the discipline of the Armed Forces is being maintained, as has been happening, there is no threat to the Democratic Rule of Law in Brazil.”