Brazil is a pretty tumultuous place to be right now. In addition to the multiple crises embroiling the country—from the Zika virus to a slumping economy to this year’s Olympic Games—a political scandal involving some of its most powerful leaders, including President Dilma Rousseff, has inspired a wave of protests that have shaken the foundation of Brazil’s politics.
So, what exactly is going on in Brazil? The answer lies somewhere in a tangled, complicated web of alleged deception, back room dealings and a pissed off populace.
March 3
Brazil enters its worst recession in more than two decades, and the longest one that’s hit the country since the 1930s. The IMF believes that Brazils’ economy, the largest in Latin America, will shrink 3.5 percent this year.
March 4
Police question former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over his alleged involvement with a corruption scandal surrounding state-run oil company Petrobras. Known simply as “Lula,” the ex-president is wildly popular in his home country and the mentor to current leader Rousseff. His detainment inspires protests and counter demonstrations by supporters and detractors.
March 10-13
Lula is charged with money laundering in connection with an allegedly undeclared beachfront apartment in the city of Guaruja. Afterward, millions of Brazilians take to the streets in cities across the country to protest corruption, a weak economy and to demand the ouster of Rousseff.
March 17
Rousseff appoints Lula as her chief of staff, a move she claimed will help strengthen her government but which critics view as a way to shield Lula from federal prosecution. Shortly after, a federal judge places an injunction against the swearing-in, as he said the appointment blocked the “free exercise of the judiciary power.” Meanwhile, protests continue.
March 19
A supreme court judge blocks Lula’s appointment to cabinet on the grounds that he was appointed to, “prevent the carrying out of [a] preventative arrest order.”
Will Rousseff be impeached? Will she violate judicial demands and still install Lula as her chief of staff? Will Lula see more charges levied against him? Although it remains to be seen what will happen next in Brazil, an end to the current turmoil does not appear to be close.
