Support for democracy rises to 75% in Brazil, says Datafolha poll

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% of Brazilians supported democracy, while 12% of citizens said a dictatorship was better under certain circumstances.

Some 75% of Brazilians support the country's current democracy, a poll by Datafolha released on Sunday showed, while just 10% 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% of Brazilians supported democracy, while 12% 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% from 22%.

Brazil went through its last military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985. Bolsonaro is a passionate supporter of that military period.