About this episode
The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for planning a coup. He was trying to prevent his left-wing rival, Lula, who'd defeated him in elections a few weeks earlier, from taking office. Thousands ransacked government buildings in Brasilia but Bolsonaro and his backers aborted the coup attempt because it became apparent it didn't have the support of the military - at least not enough of them. Coups and coup attempts are nothing new in Latin America. Bolivia alone has had 190, the most recent only last year. And many leaders, although democratically elected, seem to have scant regard for democratic institutions once they come to power. Ortega in Nicaragua, Bukele in El Salvador and Milei in Argentina to name just some. Joe and Daniel discuss why the region is so prone to coup attempts and whether democracy is under threat.
