FACT CHECK: No, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Did Not Declare Martial Law
A post shared on Instagram purports Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declared martial law following his loss in the recent presidential election.
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Verdict: False
The text in the photo is not of a legitimate decree. Neither Bolsonaro or the armed forces have not declared martial law.
Fact Check:
Liz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly won against Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential election in October 2022, according to CNN. Many of Bolsonaro’s voters rallied outside military barracks throughout the country to show their support following the results, claiming the election was stolen, The Guardian reported.
The Instagram post purports the Brazilian Ministry of Defense has taken steps in response to election fraud. The images appear to show screenshots of a document, the top of the second image shows a heading with the Brazilian Ministry of Defense emblem cut off.
Some of the text in the alleged decree calls for the closure of the National Congress, arrests warrants against the Supreme Court and declares martial law that would be enforced by civil and military police.
“Fraud declared in Brazil!” the caption reads. “Declared Martial Law and the transfer of power to the Joint Chiefs of Staffs of the Armed Forces.”
The claims are baseless. There are no credible news reports suggesting that martial law was declared in Brazil. No such announcement has appeared from the office of the president. Likewise, no such action has been considered by the Senate. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Fire Twitter’s Policy Chief Live On Air?)
Bolsonaro admitted defeat two days after the election results were released, the New York Post reported. The outgoing president did consider legal recourse, such as the possibility of disqualifying the president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva based on his past criminal convictions, according to the outlet.
This is not the first time a false report about government conduct has spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim a treasury department employee exposed government corruption.
