The president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, acknowledged on Wednesday (7) that there was a plan for a coup d'état after the 2022 elections, but stated that the elaboration of the plot itself should not be considered a crime. In an interview with the "Timeline" program,Rádio Gaúcha, o dirigente também foi questionado sobre a possibilidade de uma nova tentativa de ruptura institucional em um eventual governo de Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) e, irritado, respondeu: “Não sei”. Na sequência, ele reformulou a resposta e afirmou que isso “nunca, jamais” seria considerado, sobretudo após a prisão do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro.
The statement came as Valdemar defended amnesty for the January 8th instigators and those involved in the attempted coup. According to him, the measure would aim to "free all military personnel unjustly imprisoned." The president of PL argued that planning a coup should not be considered a crime if the action was not carried out.
Okay, they discussed about staging the coup, but they didn't, so what?", said Valdemar. When questioned by journalist Paulo Germano about whether he recognized that a coup plan had indeed existed, he replied: "There is no doubt about it.
Subsequently, the presenter asked who would ensure that a new plan would not occur in a potential Flávio Bolsonaro government. "Do you think they might try again?", he questioned. Irritated by the insistence on the topic, Valdemar responded: "I don't know, I don't know." He then tried to dismiss the possibility. "Has it worked? Look at Bolsonaro, what is he paying? Do you think someone would do that? Never, ever," he stated.
Valdemar's statements occurred on the same day that Flávio Bolsonaro reiterated his intention to "redemocratize" Brazil and stated that "institutions must be respected again." The statement was made during the announcement of the Republicanos' support for his candidacy in the second round.
On Tuesday (6th), during an agenda in Goiânia, Flávio had stated that he intended to use the center-right majority elected to the Chamber and Senate to "change the Constitution and redemocratize the country," without specifying what measures would be taken. The following day, he said that the statement referred to proposals that he already advocated, including reducing the age of criminal responsibility, changes to the STF, and the end of re-election.
Bolsonaro in government
During the interview, Valdemar also stated that Jair Bolsonaro would not have a formal position in a potential Flávio Bolsonaro government, but would participate informally in the administration. "Bolsonaro will logically give his opinion in the government, I have no doubt about that. But he will not be part of the government," he said.
The president of PL also expressed the expectation that the former president would be granted amnesty and released from house arrest if Flavio is elected. Granting amnesty to those involved in the attempted coup is one of the candidate's key platforms.
Impeachment in the STF
Valdemar was also questioned about the PL's defense of impeaching Supreme Court justices during the election campaign. The leader stated that the issue needs to be discussed by Congress, but he said he does not consider a conflict between the branches to be appropriate.
"This needs to be discussed. Ideally, the Supreme Court should resolve the issues within the Supreme Court, but this is an issue that will have a major discussion. We will not resolve anything through conflict, in my opinion. We need to be able to guide the country forward," he said.
The Supreme Court has become a major target of the extreme right during the Jair Bolsonaro administration, with recurring attacks on justices, the functioning of the court, and the electoral system. The offensive intensified after the 2022 elections, when the STF began to directly investigate and judge those involved in the attempted coup and the January 8th events. According to investigations, the court itself was a target of the plot, which envisioned the arrest or assassination of Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
According to data from the Supreme Federal Court, 1,402 people were convicted for crimes related to the January 8th attacks and the attempted coup. Among them are members of the groups identified by the investigation as responsible for planning the institutional breakdown, including Jair Bolsonaro and generals who were part of the former government.
Investigations by the Federal Police also pointed to the existence of the "Green and Yellow Knife" plan, which planned the assassination of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. According to the investigation, members of the Special Forces monitored Moraes and evaluated the possibility of arresting or assassinating him in December 2022. The plan aimed to create conditions to prevent Lula's inauguration and reverse the results of the 2022 elections.