risk . Bolsonaro spoke to reporters at the Federal Senate in Brasília on July 17, 2025, shortly before prosecutors requested that the Supreme Court convict him for leading efforts to overturn the 2022 election. His latest detention marks one of the most aggressive measures a Brazilian democracy has taken against a former head of state. A Democracy Under Strain For the past three years, Brazil has lived in a near-constant state of institutional tension, reacting to an ex-president who refused to accept electoral defeat. Bolsonaro’s presidency — and especially his post-presidency — repeatedly pushed Brazil’s courts, law-enforcement agencies, and democratic institutions to the edge. His supporters, however, argue that the Supreme Court has become politicized and accuse it of overreach. Right-wing groups have protested the judiciary for years, while even some moderates express concern about the unprecedented power the court now holds. But analysts say the Supreme Court’s hardened posture did not emerge spontaneously. It was shaped, case by case, by Bolsonaro’s confrontational strategies. A Long Road to Confrontation Before pro-Bolsonaro rioters stormed Brasília’s government buildings on January 8, 2023 — mirroring elements of the U.S. Capitol riot — Brazil had already been experiencing a slow, grinding institutional clash. Bolsonaro’s political machine transformed the country’s digital sphere into a potent weapon. Investigators uncovered networks of coordinated online disinformation controlled by figures close to the former president. Judges, journalists, lawmakers, and public health officials became recurring targets of harassment and threats, some escalating into credible death threats against Supreme Court justices. This environment led to a defining legal turning point: the “fake news inquiry.” After federal prosecutors declined to investigate the digital militias operating around Bolsonaro’s circle, the Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of opening the investigation itself. Despite criticism, the inquiry became the legal foundation for confronting subsequent threats to Brazil’s democratic order. The Pandemic Flashpoint Bolsonaro’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis deepened the conflict. While Brazil faced mass graves, oxygen shortages, and collapsing hospitals, Bolsonaro publicly dismissed the virus as a “little flu,” undermined vaccination campaigns, fired health ministers, and promoted unproven treatments. The tragedy’s scale continues to influence Brazil’s political climate today. Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , has attempted to restore institutional stability, but Bolsonaro’s loyal base — and his ongoing legal battles — continue to keep Brazilian politics on edge. A Nation Watching Closely Bolsonaro’s preventive arrest signals that the judiciary is willing to pursue the former president with unprecedented rigor. His legal team is expected to challenge the decision, but the case underscores a deeper question about the strength or fragility of Brazil’s democracy.