The governor of , (Republicans), came to the defense of his ally () after the indictment of the former president in the investigation into the coup plot.
In a publication on X (formerly Twitter) early this Thursday evening (21), he stated that the PF investigation “lacks evidence”, but did not detail his arguments. He made no comment, for example, on the suspicion cited by the PF of a Lula (PT), the vice, (), and the minister of .
“There is a widespread narrative against President Jair Bolsonaro and that lacks evidence. We need to be very responsible about serious accusations like this. The president respected the result of the election and the inauguration took place in full normality and respect for democracy. That the investigation in progress is carried out in order to bring the truth of the facts to light”, stated Tarcísio.
Other governors who are seen as possible candidates for the Palácio do Planalto in 2026 avoided commenting on Bolsonaro’s indictment on their social networks on suspicion of an attempted coup d’état in 2022: Ratinho Jr. (PSD-PR), (União Brasil-GO) and Romeu Zema (Novo-MG) remained silent on the topic.
On Wednesday night (20), the governor (PSDB-RS) published a tweet demonstrating concern and indignation with the result of the PF operation the previous day. In the post, the chief executive of Rio Grande do Sul did not mention Bolsonaro directly.
“Once the evidence is proven, everyone involved in this plot, at all levels, needs to receive rigorous punishment. Any action that aims to destabilize our democratic system must be severely opposed. There is only one side to be defended at this moment: the side of democracy, of legality and respect for institutions”, said Leite.
Unlike leaders on the right, prominent figures on the left celebrated the indictment on social media.
The chief minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Paulo Pimenta, called for the conviction of “those who committed crimes against democracy, the Constitution and the people”.
Pimenta also stated that he was outraged by the information revealed by the police investigation, which cited a plan to assassinate Lula, Alckmin and Moraes.
Left-wing parliamentarians such as Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP), Fabiano Contarato (PT-ES), Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ) and Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG) also published on their own networks about the matter, calling for Bolsonaro’s arrest.
The federal deputy for Paraná and national president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann, stated that the indictment of Bolsonaro and “his gang, installed in Planalto, opens the way for everyone to pay in court for the crimes they committed against Brazil and democracy : trying to rig elections, assassinate authorities and install a dictatorship.” She concluded by saying she was against amnesty.
Last week, after the event in Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília, Caiado and Zema commented on what happened.
The attack intensified discussions around topics such as 2023, national pacification and ideological polarization among actors involved in the election for the Presidency of the Republic in 2026.
Caiado and Zema used the case to reinforce anti-government rhetoric and nod to Bolsonaro’s electoral spoils.
The base of Lula’s government considered the episode as an outcome of January 8, reiterating that only punishing those responsible will prevent new cases.
