'Brazil Nears 4,000 Daily Deaths', Launches National Inquiry

Senate Speaker "Investigating Overall Inadequate Response"... Prosecutors May Intervene
Daily Deaths Near 4,000... Cumulative Death Toll Ranks 2nd Worldwide

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil
[Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] In Brazil, which is suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic with daily death tolls approaching 4,000, a government investigation has begun into President Jair Bolsonaro's administration, which has been criticized for its inadequate COVID-19 response capabilities. This has led to observations that President Bolsonaro, who is aiming for re-election in next year's presidential election, is facing the greatest political crisis since taking office.

According to major foreign media on the 13th (local time), the Brazilian Senate formed a government investigation committee and launched a full investigation into President Bolsonaro's overall COVID-19 response process. Foreign media also reported that if illegal activities are discovered during the investigation, the federal prosecutor's office may intervene.

Earlier, on the 8th, Supreme Court Justice Luiz Roberto Barroso ordered Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco to establish a COVID-19 investigation committee. Accordingly, on the 13th, parties holding seats in the Senate began negotiations to form the investigation committee, and the investigation activities are expected to start as soon as the negotiations conclude.

President Pacheco stated on the day, "We will examine the overall issues including the federal government's response process to COVID-19 and problems in budget execution provided to local governments." Previously, lawmakers close to President Bolsonaro criticized that the recent worsening of the COVID-19 situation was due to the failure of local governments' responses.

President Bolsonaro has been criticized by various sectors of society for downplaying COVID-19 as a "simple cold" and neglecting government-level responses. He ignored demands from quarantine authorities to enforce mask mandates and also did not implement lockdown measures requested by experts.

Currently, President Bolsonaro's approval ratings are also plummeting. According to local polling firm PoderData, as of the 31st of last month, support for the Bolsonaro administration stood at 33%, marking an all-time low. In particular, positive evaluations of the Bolsonaro government's COVID-19 response were 21%, while negative evaluations reached 58%.

Meanwhile, on the 13th, the number of COVID-19 deaths was recorded at 3,808, pushing the cumulative death toll past 358,000 and ranking Brazil second in the world after the United States. Additionally, according to the Brazilian Medical Association, more than 50% of severe patient beds in Brazil are occupied by people under 40 years old, indicating that the age group of severe patients is also decreasing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.