Brazilian President Demands Impeachment of Supreme Court Justice for the First Time... Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Branch Conflicts Escalate

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has officially demanded the impeachment of a Supreme Court justice, intensifying the conflict among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. As public opinion worsens, analysts suggest that President Bolsonaro, mindful of next year's presidential election, is trying to rally his support base by creating tension, drawing attention to the future political landscape.

According to Brazilian media on the 21st (local time), President Bolsonaro sent a request for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to the Senate the day before. This is the first time in Brazil's constitutional history that a president has officially demanded the impeachment of a Supreme Court justice.

President Bolsonaro claimed that Justice Moraes violated the principle of separation of powers and acted biasedly to punish the president.

Justice Moraes had placed President Bolsonaro under investigation for spreading fake news and, using the Federal Police, abruptly arrested Roberto Jefferson, a former member of the Chamber of Deputies and a close aide to the president. Former Congressman Jefferson was charged with attacking opposition politicians through social networking services (SNS) and threatening democratic order.

Following this, Justice Moraes ordered the Federal Police to conduct searches on Bolsonaro's fervent supporters the day before.

The Supreme Court immediately issued a statement condemning President Bolsonaro's impeachment request and reaffirming trust in Justice Moraes.

Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco expressed a negative stance, saying, "No grounds were found for the impeachment of the justice," and ten former ministers of justice and defense urged the Senate President in a joint letter to reject President Bolsonaro's impeachment request.

Earlier, more than ten governors declared their support for the Supreme Court in a joint statement released on the 15th, warning that if President Bolsonaro and his supporters threaten the justices, the police could be mobilized.

However, President Bolsonaro's hardline stance is expected to continue.

Close aides to the presidential office indicated that Bolsonaro might also demand the impeachment of Justice Luiz Roberto Barroso, who opposed the abolition of electronic voting.

President Bolsonaro has argued that the 2014 and 2018 presidential election results were distorted due to electronic voting and has called for the introduction of paper ballots that can be verified.

Even after the constitutional amendment proposal to abolish electronic voting and use paper ballots was rejected by the Chamber of Deputies on the 10th, Bolsonaro has not ceased his aggressive remarks against Justice Barroso and has hinted that he will not accept the results of next year's presidential election.

Political experts diagnose, "The conflict among the president, judiciary, and political circles has reached its peak, but no solution is in sight," adding, "Neither side shows signs of backing down, so tensions are expected to escalate."

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