Sir, – I would like to refer to the editorial "The Irish Times view on coronavirus in Brazil : a death every minute" (June 9th).
It is fundamental to bear in mind that the last elections in Brazil were held in the most democratic and transparent way, with the president having been elected by almost 58 million votes, that is 55 per cent of the total. This gives legitimacy to the system in which the presidency authority is exerted within the constitutional precepts, with full respect to the rule of law.
Furthermore, all institutions which constitute a democratic political system are functioning in all levels. Crucially, the judiciary and the legislative powers act with full autonomy and independence.
In this scenario, there is no room for suspecting a “catastrophic implosion of this country of 220 million”, as suggested in the editorial.
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There is no doubt that the challenge all countries face to fight the Covid-19 pandemic is a priority and that saving lives is at the core of the efforts embraced to this end. Every single life counts. This has never been in question, but it is important that the extension of the pandemic in the country be perceived in a proper way.
I would like to bring to your attention that the presentation of data in absolute terms, dissociated from the size of the population, can be misleading and distort the proportion of the crisis. If you take for instance the death rate per million inhabitants in Brazil, which is 183 according to the independent consolidated data released on June 10th, Brazil cannot be regarded as the third-most affected country in the world. In fact, Brazil has to this date a lower death rate than a number of European countries.
I hope that these comments may assist your readers in having a better understanding of the latest developments in Brazil. – Yours, etc,
ELIANA ZUGAIB,
Ambassador of Brazil,
Dublin 2.