In shocking revelations, several leaked audio recordings from late 2022 reveal that senior members of Brazil's army discussed ways to pressure then-President Jair Bolsonaro into staging a coup to stay in power.

The Federal Police received the 53 audios, which The Associated Press accessed on Monday. They offer an uncommon chance to hear military personnel saying in their own words that they intend to prevent leftist Luiz Incio Lula da Silva from being elected as president. In his latest decision, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is in charge of a significant police investigation, mentioned some audio recordings. He issued an arrest order last week for five individuals who are said to have plotted the 2022 assassination of then-President-elect Lula and attempted to topple him on January 8, 2023, when Bolsonaro supporters vandalised government facilities in Brasília.

Audios from a former army officer, who wasn’t included in de Moraes’ recent arrest order, strongly support a coup. These audios were not mentioned in de Moraes' directive. Former army special forces subcommander Col. Roberto Raimundo Criscuoli warned retired Brig. Gen. Mario Fernandes, then second in command at the general secretary of the presidency, said that Lula's third, non-consecutive term gave the far-right leader a clear choice. "It will be either a civil war now or civil war later. We have a justification now for civil war; people are on the streets, we have massive support," Criscuoli said in one of the audios. "Let's do this now. Speak to 01." 01 is frequently used to refer to the president of Brazil.

The voices of the former president and his ministers cannot be found in the recordings. The audios hold no link with the accusations by Brazil’s police on November 21 that Bolsonaro, including 36 other members tried to stage a coup. However, the Brazilian army has yet not made any comment on the Federal Police investigation. Bolsonaro often held suspicion about the election results without providing evidence and never officially conceded. He went to the United States shortly before Lula's inauguration on January 1, 2023, and stayed there for several months, staying out of the spotlight. Brazil's top electoral court has barred Bolsonaro from running for president until 2030 due to abuse of power. He also faces several investigations for possible crimes.

In other audios, the urgent need for a coup is stated less explicitly. Col. Reginaldo Vieira de Abreu, in a voicemail to Gen. Fernandes, used a phrase Bolsonaro often uses to argue that the nation's constitution should be disregarded. "We are at war, they are winning. It is almost over and they haven't fired a single shot. It is because of our incompetence," he said. An audio recording from December 8 shows Lt. Col. Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro's aide-de-camp, informing Gen. Fernandes that there was not much time left to keep his boss in office. "On the 12th... It would have to be before the 12th, right?" Cid said, referencing the day that the electoral court would certify Lula's victory. "I will speak to the president. The thing is his personality sometimes. He waits, waits, waits, waits to see where it is going. To see who supports him. But sometimes time is short, right? We can't wait much longer."

Last week, de Moraes issued an arrest order referencing a comment by Cid but did not include his full statement. Cid is already under house arrest after signing a plea deal last year. His testimony has provided authorities with evidence in various cases involving Bolsonaro and some of his close allies, including Walter Braga Netto, Bolsonaro's chief of staff and running mate in the reelection campaign. In audio recordings, Gen. Fernandes, one of those arrested by de Moraes' order, repeatedly claimed that Brazil's presidential election was rigged in favour of Lula. He also said the military high command was under pressure to support Bolsonaro before his leftist rival took office. "Any solution, you know, will not happen without breaking eggs," he said. "We have to go for it. We have popular support."

To put pressure on military commanders to support the then-president, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters set up camp outside army installations. According to media sources at the time, there wasn't enough high-command support for a coup. Supporters of Bolsonaro only went home after the disturbance on January 8th, as directed by the recently appointed army commander.