Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro was sworn into office as Brazilian president on the 1st January 2019, succeeding Michel Temer. His ascension into office was the culmination of a long political career which began in 1988 on the Rio de Janeiro City Council. His 27 years in congress were characterised by a strong support for the military dictatorship and the voicing of his national conservatist views. A member of the Brazilian Liberal party, he is often described as a far-right populist.
Criticism
Bolsonaro has been criticised by many for his polarizing views and comments, particularly on the subjects of homosexuality, abortion and crime. Many believe his response to the Coronavirus pandemic to have been insufficientas the president has appeared to downplay the risk the virus poses to his citizens. When the pandemic first hit, Bolsonaro took to Instagram and Twitter to criticise the use of masks and to undermine state governors and mayors as they attempted to impose lockdowns and social distancing measures. In 2020, Bolsonaro criticized the decision to impose quarantines by stating on twitter that this would only make Brazil “Turn into Venezuela” and that instead Brazil should “Return to normality”. As vaccines began to roll out, the president took up a heavy anti-vaccine stance, claiming that he himself would never take the vaccine and even joking that the Pfizer vaccine may “turn people into crocodiles”.
Source: Americas Quarterly
Electoral Success:
Prior to the 2018 election, many in Brazil could see that drastic change was needed in the country. Violent crime had been on the rise and the hosting of the Olympics had left Brazil in a dire economic situation, these problems were exacerbated by persistent allegations of corruption, specifically among the Worker’s Party (PT) which had been in power from 2003-2014. Whilst Bolsonaro’s politically incorrect, national conservatist comments were deeply polarizing amongst people in the country. Many thought of these comments as frank and no-nonsense, which portrayed Bolsonaro as someone who would get things done and tackle the tough issues Brazil was facing. Bolsonaro’s comments also struck a chord with Christian voters, mainly because of the 'traditional family values' he stands for. His advocation for these values can be seen in 2011 when Bolsonaro helped block plans for the introduction of educational material in schools that were intended to combat homophobia, calling them “gay kits”, he claimed they would teach children how to be homosexual. This ecclesiastical approach to politics, also seen in his campaign slogan “Brazil above all, god above everyone” also helped him garner support from the BBB lobbyists in congress (the Bible, Bull and Bullet), which further contributed to his campaign success. Throughout his campaign, Bolsonaro took a hard stance on violent crime, which had been soaring uncontrollably nationwide. In a country which had experienced an average of 175 homicides a day in 2017, Bolsonaro pledged to lower violent crime by increasing military presence in the streets, relaxing gun laws and reducing the penal age. Here Bolsonaro again used his political incorrectness to draw attention to this tough stance, saying during his campaign that “A good criminal is a dead criminal” and that police officers who gun down armed criminals with “10 or 30 shots need to be decorated, not prosecuted.” Bolsonaro’s anti-corruption rhetoric, and lack of a corruption record, portrayed Bolsonaro as a shift away from Brazil’s corruption-riddled past. This past included ‘Operation Car Wash’ and the subsequent impeaching of Presidents Dilma Roussef and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, both belonging to the Workers party. The fact that the two last presidents that were part of the Workers Party were impeached led to a general distrust towards that party and, ultimately, towards Bolsonaro’s run-off competitor Fernando Haddad who had been nominated by the Workers Party. Bolsonaro was helped by the fact that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (commonly referred to as Lula), who had been president from 2003-2010, was barred from running for president after he was imprisoned for corruption and money laundering. Even from prison Lula was polling far above any presidential candidate, his exit from the race saw Bolsonaro’s voting intentions soar. Together these many factors contributed to Bolsanaro’s ascension to the presidency on the 1st January 2019 as he garnered just over 55% of the vote in the run-off election against Fernando Haddad of the Worker’s Party.
The ‘Trump of the Tropics’
Many have drawn a connection between Bolsonaro and President Donald Trump because of the social media presence, anti-establishment populist style and outspoken demeanour, which both the leaders share, which has led to Bolsonaro’s nickname “Trump of the Tropics”. Bolsonaro and Trump share many domestic policies such as strict immigration laws and strengthening the military. Diplomatically, Bolsonaro and Trump share key foreign policies. Both presidents have expressed a desire to move their respective embassies in Israel from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. Both administrations also recognise Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim President and have held discussions about the future situation in Venezuela. Both have also stressed the existence of ‘fake news’ in the political arena, so much so that when Bolsonaro mentioning the term at a press conference, president Trump remarked that he was “very proud to hear the president use the term ‘fake news’”. Both are active online, especially on twitter, with both leaders being able to attribute much of their campaign success and following to social media.
Looking Ahead:
The Brazilian Presidential Election is set to take place on the 2nd October this year and will likely be two-horse-race between Bolsonaro and Luiz Inacio (Lula) de Silva, the president from 2003-2010. Polling indicates that Lula is far ahead in the race to the presidency; every poll completed since March 2021 has put Lula in the lead, with the latest polling (9th March) indicating that Lula has a 15 point lead over Bolsonaro. However, previous elections have shown just how fickle the now estimated 148 million eligible voters in Brazil can be: the fate of the 2nd largest democracy in the Western hemisphere still remains unclear.
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