The federal government held an official ceremony this Thursday (8) at Palácio do Planalto to mark the three-year anniversary of the invasions of the Three Powers buildings in Brasília, which took place on January 8, 2023. The event, entitled “In Defense of Democracy and Institutionality”, brought together ministers, authorities from the Judiciary, Congress and representatives of civil society.
The mobilization, however, was met with criticism from opposition parliamentarians, who accuse the Palácio do Planalto of politically exploiting the date to divert focus from other issues.
Federal deputy Evair de Melo (PP-ES) stated, in a conversation with the owner of this column, that the Lula (PT) administration “creates a narrative every day to hide the ills of his government”. The parliamentarian did not detail the accusations, but said that “democracy does not go hand in hand with corruption, authoritarianism of the Judiciary and support for dictatorships”.
A similar position was expressed by senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), leader of the opposition in the Senate. “January 8th became the biggest smokescreen for the PT and the left”, he declared. “They create a false narrative to cover up shielding in the INSS CPMI, the robbery of retirees, Lulinha’s allowance, the destruction of the economy and the million-dollar contract of the STF minister’s wife.”
The leader of the PT in the Chamber of Deputies, Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ), reaffirmed that democracy suffered a “clear coup attempt” in 2023. “For the first time in our history, we have a former president and generals arrested for an attempted coup,” he said. “Now Lula must veto the project to reduce sentences for coup plotters and we have to mobilize to maintain the veto. Today is a historic day. So that it never forgets, so that it never happens again! Dictatorship Never Again!”
The ceremony takes place amid discussions about the veto of the dosimetry project and reduction of sentences for those convicted of the episode, topics that have once again polarized the political debate.
The date remains a watershed on the political scene: for the government base, a symbol of democratic resistance that cannot be forgotten; for sectors of the opposition, an episode used strategically to obfuscate the economic agenda and other criticisms of the PT administration.
