Sharjah24 – AFP: Opposition lawmakers in Brazil launched a fresh bid Wednesday to impeach President Jair Bolsonaro as more allegations broke of corruption in acquiring coronavirus vaccines to tackle a pandemic he is accused of having criminally mishandled.
A document signed by dozens of leftwing political parties, trade unions and civic organizations, as well as a few former allies, was submitted to the chamber of deputies.
It listed more than 20 accusations against Bolsonaro, including "negligence" in heading the response to Covid-19 that has killed over 500,000 in Brazil.
The document gathered more than a hundred earlier impeachment filings into one "super request" for Bolsonaro to be relieved of his post, its authors said.
For two months, a senate commission investigating the government's handling of the pandemic has heard a parade of witnesses testifying how the far-right leader and his government blatantly flouted expert advice on containing the virus.
Bolsonaro minimized the virus as a "little flu," fought lockdowns, questioned face masks and rejected various offers of vaccines, meanwhile pushing unproven drugs such as chloroquine and urging Brazilians to get back to work.
All previous impeachment filings against Bolsonaro have been blocked by the president of the chamber of deputies, Arthur Lira, a key ally.
Observers say it is unlikely Lira will change course now, and even if he did, Bolsonaro's conservative backers in parliament would save him.
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