SAO PAULO, June 28 — Some 75 per cent of Brazilians support the country’s current democracy, a poll by Datafolha released today showed, while just 10 per cent of citizens support a dictatorship, the highest and lowest levels of support for the two forms of government in at least 30 years.
The results come amid higher perception that the administration of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro may attempt to break with democratic institutions. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has supported protests that demanded the shutting down of the independent Supreme Court and Congress for opposing the president’s agenda.
The last time the poll was taken, in December of last year, 62 per cent of Brazilians supported democracy, while 12 per cent of citizens said a dictatorship was better under certain circumstances.
The biggest change in heart between the December poll and the current one came from people who were indifferent to the type of government, which fell to 12 per cent from 22 per cent.
Brazil went through its last military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985. Bolsonaro is a passionate supporter of that military period. — Reuters
