Lula da Silva loses his only military minister over possible links to the coup attempt

The first government crisis in the third term of Lula da Silva. Chief Minister of the Cabinet for Institutional Security (GSI) of the Brazilian Presidency, General Marco Gonçalves Diasresigned from his post after a series of videos were published in the media in which, according to the opposition, he did not do enough to stop Bolsonaro’s radicals who attacked the Planalto Palace in an attempted coup on January 8. The resignation further complicates Lula’s relationship with the armed forces, as Gonçalves was the only soldier in his governmentafter a much larger role during Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure.

The situation could become more tense if it is taken into account that the left-wing leader is preparing a law which will hinder the active army’s access to high public positions already popularly elected positions — this will be discussed in Congress — and that it is already dismissed important members of the Armed Forcessuch as Army Commander Julio César de Arruda who was dismissed just two weeks after January 8.

“I put my position at the disposal of the President of the Republic so that the entire investigation can be carried out,” Gonçalves told the Globo network after resigning on Wednesday. In statements to Globonews, he said that he resigned in order not to further exhaust the government. “He went alone”Lula made the announcement this Thursday, denying that Gonçalves was pressured to leave the executive branch.

Controversial images, broadcast by CNN Brazil, show the general, who took office a week earlier, walking down the corridors of the Planalto Palace and interacting with Bolsonaro’s supporters, and even opening the door for them, apparently showing the way out. In addition, the videos show members of his GSI team talking to the protesters and even offering them bottles of water.

gonçalves he denies that he was complacent with the radicals and assures that his job was to prevent them from entering the presidential office and that he was directing them to the second floor of the building where they would be arrested.

The release of the video led the conservative opposition, led by Bolsonaro, to he played the version againit has not been proven that Lula’s government allowed radicals to enter the headquarters of the three powers.

For weeks, the president’s team opposed the formation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the events of January 8, knowing that the body would encourage those versions.

It seems that the publication of the video has changed the opinion of the motley government coalition, which already this Thursday was inclined to organize said investigative commission. Alexandre Padilha, Brazil’s secretary of institutional relations, said the commission would put an end to opposition theories, which he called “flat earthers»blame the Government, Congress and the Federal Supreme Court for acts of coup d’état.

A Supreme Court judge investigating the events of January 8 Alexandre de Moraes, asked the federal police to urgently interrogate Gonçalvesand asked the same police if they had handed over all the available material about the attacks on the three seats of power in Brazil, as the judge requested, since, apparently, learned about the existence of new videos from the press.