Is there democracy in Brazil?

Protest in Paulista Avenue, São Paulo, September 11th, 2016.

I am sure that you all know about Brazil and how it is the biggest country in Latin America, one of the biggest economies in the world, home of the largest rain forest on the planet. I also know that you realize the country's relevance in the world scenario so here is a few paragraphs describing Brazil's political situation today.

Since the day after the last presidential election the opposing candidate, Aécio Neves, threatened President Dilma of taking her out of power by any means possible. A series of accusations were made and investigated, but none proved to be real. Still, congress impeached Dilma, the elected president who has never done anything illegal, to put in her place a vice-president charged with corruption and who cannot be a candidate in any election for years, Temer.

Of course, when Brazil voted for Dilma, also voted for Temer. But their platform and promises on which they've got elected was thrown into a trash bin on the day Temer stepped into office. He changed the government team, shut down important offices, and invited Neves, the losing presidential candidate, with his political partners, to be part of this new government, whose plans include privatizations of many state companies, changes on our universal health care systems, on our educational curriculum, and on our worker rights and retirement. None of these actions were presented, debated, voted or talked about.They are being imposed by the president with "Medidas Provisórias" and will probably pass in congress.

You must be wondering, "why would Brazilian congress pass all these bills without popular consent?" Here is why: there is an alliance between congress, the illegitimate presidential team, the judiciary branch and the Brazilian elite to stop investigations on corrupt politicians, raise judge's salaries, and change Brazilian policies in favor of the rich, who will be able to hire people for a lower wage. There are audio recordings of Temer's team scheming all that horrible plan all over the media, and still, nothing has happened to stop this coup.

There is no democracy in Brazil.

People has gone to the streets of all major cities in Brazil in peaceful protests against Temer and asking for their right to choose their president. There has been no coverage by any of the major networks, which are also part of this coup alliance. Worse, people are being spanked, bombed, and shot in these protests. They are taking away our right to speak.

There are military and police infiltrated in social networks on the internet, spying on people who organize protests against Temer. 26 people were arrested last week in a meeting to talk about protesting. And they were just talking. 

I have been in a protest with my mother and sister. We were walking peacefully screaming "elections now" as loud as we could. Suddenly we heard explosions. People started running. There were stun grenades and grenades with some sort of gas that make people sick and breathing almost impossible. Police was shooting people from behind their back with rubber bullets. By people I mean many women, elderly, children, man... I saw a scene I have only seen in movies. It looked like a war zone. 

I cannot describe with words how it feels to run for your life when you have done nothing wrong. How it feels to have to protect your mother and sister from the police, whose only job is to protect people. How it feels to be shut up by force. How it feels to not have a voice.

It did not happened only once. This scene has been repeating every week. 

I am not sure if there will be presidential elections in two years. I am afraid I am living a new dictatorship, in which opposing political parties will become illegal and there will be only candidates aligned with the government. This wouldn't be the first dictatorship in Brazilian history.

Now you know.