The minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) Gilmar Mendes said, this Tuesday (22) that Brazil has “something to present to the world” in relation to the “constitutional experience”.
“I could be telling the story of the closure of our (STF) activities, perhaps asking for asylum there in Portugal. But, we can present ourselves today as participants in a success story”, he declared.
Gilmar’s speech took place during the International Congress of Constitutional Rights, in Brasília.
The dean of the STF defined the year 2018 as an initial marker of the “political challenges” faced by the STF, given “populism’s misunderstanding of the idea of the Rule of Law”.
“The court has become the biggest target of political action directed by the President of the Republic himself”, he declared, referring to the now former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), elected in 2018.
Recently, among other crimes related to what would be a coup plot.
Referring to the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, between 2020 and 2022, the dean highlighted that the STF “had to intervene” so that governors could be tougher in restrictive health measures in relation to the federal government.
Following a timeline, Gilmar also said that questions about the electronic voting system aimed to “found” a coup. “We wanted to disrupt the process”, he considered.
“These are facts that are part of our history. And they also speak of constitutionalism in a context of crisis. We have overcome all of this”, he added.
* Published by Henrique Sales Barros and Helena Prestes, under supervision
