SAO PAULO (AP) – A Brazilian Supreme Court judge on Thursday ordered the Senate to investigate the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, and the full court ruled that the churches could not be reopened during the pandemic, threatening to to strengthen tensions between President Jair Bolsonaro. and the judiciary.
The order by Judge Luis Roberto Barroso for an inquiry by the Senate comes just minutes after the entire court has the power of local authorities to prevent churches and other worship services from opening.
Bolsonaro underestimated the threat of the coronavirus, arguing that the economic and emotional consequences of shutdowns would harm more Brazilians than the pandemic. He has at times broken into the control of other branches of government and has repeatedly criticized the Supreme Court for maintaining the power of governors and mayors to impose restrictions on economic and personal activities during the pandemic. Last year, he attended protests against the court.
The Conservative president, a proud Christian who has the support of some of the most important evangelical leaders in the country, needed the locally imposed lockdown and other restrictions that health experts said were needed to stem the spread of the virus. In recent weeks, Brazil has become at the center of the pandemic crisis, which accounts for more than a quarter of the world’s deaths due to COVID-19.
“The investigation will call on scientists from across Brazil to testify and show how irresponsible the president’s statements were. It will be harder for him. Public opinion will be heard in the Senate, ”said Carlos Melo, a professor of political science at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “It was inevitable. The time had come for the political system to respond. ”
With the increase in the country’s death toll – among the 345,000 dead are three senators – more than the required 27 senators have already signed a request for a congressional inquiry into the administration of the pandemic, but to move forward, the chamber’s President, Sen. Rodrigo Pacheco. Pacheco, who won his leadership position in January with Bolsonaro’s support, prevented him from activating the investigation.
“It was not the moment. That is what I think, ”Pacheco told reporters in Brasilia after the judge’s order. “This investigation is currently out of bounds. It could crown the national failure in this pandemic. ”
Pacheco said an investigation would inevitably continue the 2022 presidential race in which Bolsonaro is expected to seek re-election, giving opposition senators a platform to attack the leader and possibly accuse him of crimes.
The Senate must look at how the government is handling the COVID-19 crisis, and can deliver Bolsonaro new criticism. If senators were to decide that there was something criminal in the reaction, the Senate would have to ask the federal attorney general to launch its own investigation.
The ruling on houses of worship does not prevent local authorities from reopening churches, and some have already done so.
But the court acted after Judge Kassio Marques, the only member of the court appointed by Bolsonaro, allowed churches across Brazil to reopen, provided they follow health protocols. Many churches were opened on Easter Sunday, some without taking social distance.
Marques was dominated by his colleagues in a 9-2 vote that ended Thursday.
Judge Gilmar Mendes said in his vote that Brazil “is becoming an international pariah in health matters.” ‘
“Brazil, which was once a role model in public health, in immunization campaigns, is in this extreme embarrassment today,” he said.