The decision of United States President Donald Trump not to attend the inauguration ceremony of his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, represents a violation of protocol in American democratic tradition, but finds support in the wing curator of Brazilian politics.
In Brazilian history, the most recent example of a director general who refused to attend the investiture of his successor was General João Baptista Figueiredo, the last president of the military dictatorship.
It was 1985, Brazil was still repeating a democratic government, and José Sarney had to take command of the country after then-president-elect Tancredo Neves was hospitalized the day before his inauguration – and he died. a little over a month. after.
About Sarney, Figueiredo told IstoÉ magazine shortly before his death in 1999: “He was always a weakling, a careerist. From a painter he became a traitor. That is why I did not pass the presidential belt to that bastard. assume the presidency.
The violation of protocol in Brasilia was recalled by the general’s grandson on Friday (8), minutes after the US president announced he would not attend the inauguration of the Biden government.
“My grandfather did not attend the inauguration of his successor, who came to power illegitimately. He acted according to his convictions. The same goes for men of character!” Twitter, businessman Paulo Figueiredo Filho.
Figueiredo was not the only one to refuse to perform the rites of transition in Brazil, however. The Republic was still in its infancy when Floriano Peixoto, who reigned from 1891 to 1894, decided not to attend the inauguration of Prudente de Morais because he was not congratulating himself on the arrival of a civilian to power.
Afonso Pena was also unable to pass the banner to his successor, Nilo Peçanha, but for a reason beyond his will. He died in 1909 of severe pneumonia, and Peçanha, who was his deputy, took over the presidency.
In 1954, Café Filho saw himself as president overnight and began to rule the country also without the blessing of his predecessor, because he, Getúlio Vargas, had committed suicide.
After the stalemate between Figueiredo and Sarney, Brazil finally entered the period of democratization. Since then, only two elected to the presidency have received and passed the banner to their successors: Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luis Inácio Lula da Silva.
Fernando Collor, the first president elected directly after the military dictatorship, was given the banner of Sarney, which was originally a vice. Before his term ended, he was forced to resign after being subjected to impeachment proceedings and did not pass the banner to Itamar Franco.
Itamar, in turn, took office in a brief ceremony and only used the presidential belt in the last of his two years and three days in government, when he placed it on the shoulders of the FHC. The toucan, president for two terms, followed the same protocol when Lula was inaugurated in 2003.
Eight years later, it was Dilma Rousseff’s turn. Reelected for a new term, she was dismissed from her post in the context of impeachment proceedings in 2016 and did not attend the investiture of Michel Temer. The emedebista, who did not receive the group from another president, forwarded it to Jair Bolsonaro two years ago.