The three most senior soldiers from the Brazilian armed forces have resigned. They do so out of dissatisfaction with a series of dismissals by President Bolsonaro, who this week expelled his defense secretary and five other ministers. It would be the first time in the country’s history that the entire military top resigned due to disagreements with the president.
The departure of the leaders of the army, air force and fleet comes at a time when Bolsonaro is under heavy fire because of the vele coronadoden and the weakened economy. Fears within the military would be that close ties with Bolsonaro’s government are now damaging the military’s image.
Part of the army, like the replaced Defense Minister Azevedo, would think that Bolsonaro wants to exercise too much control over the armed forces. The army top would also consider the fight against the corona virus very important, unlike Bolsonaro, who has long said that strict measures and lockdowns are more harmful than the virus.
The Brazilian president is at odds with the governors of the states on this. They have themselves introduced strict restrictions against the spread of the virus and want nationally coordinated lockdowns, with the military responsible for enforcement. Bolsonaro wants to prevent that.
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