The wave of far-right politics that is flooding much of the western world has washed over another country. This time on the shores of Rio de Janeiro. Jair Balsonaro’s victory in a runoff election on October 28 marked a clear far-right shift in Brazilian politics. Well known for the incendiary comments he has made about women, homosexual people, and people of color, Bolsonaro is looking to leave his mark on Brazilian politics by any means necessary.
Many Brazilians are tired of the violence and corruption that has defined their lives and their government during the last decade. Reminiscent of President Trump’s supporters, Bolsonaro’s base appreciates his willingness to speak his mind and aggressively push back against those who oppose him. Bolsonaro’s military background and numerous projections of strength appealed to Brazilians who are tired of the ineffectual rhetoric of Brazil’s other political parties, particularly the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MBD) and the Worker’s Party (PT), which have controlled Brazilian politics since 2003. Caught up in the now infamous “Operation Car Wash”, an ongoing corruption scandal which has implicated presidents and high ranking government officials across the continent, the Worker’s Party felt the effects of this investigation in the 2018 Presidential election. Although PT candidate, Fernando Haddad, made it to a runoff, Bolsonaro nearly won outright with over 46% of the popular vote in the first round. If Bolsonaro’s nearly landslide victory proves anything, it is that the Brazilian political climate is overwhelming shifting to the right.
As the Brazilians come to terms with the far-right shift of their national politics, Brazil’s election will have ripple effects across the globe. In terms of the environment, Bolsonaro made a number of campaign promises to open up tracks of land in the Amazon for development. On the campaign trail, Bolsonaro stated that he will not tolerate the agenda of environmental organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund, in Brazil. During the campaign, Bolsonaro even went as far as to promise to back out of the Paris Agreement if elected. Many of environmentalist worry about the disastrous and far-reaching effects that further deforestation in the Amazon could have on climate change and pollution.
Given that Brazil is the world’s fourth-largest democracy, Brazil is often the trendsetter in South American politics. Bolsonaro does not hide the fact that he admires Brazil’s former military dictatorship. In a previous interview, when asked if he would dismantle Congress as President, Bolsonaro said, “There is no doubt. I would perform a coup on the same day. [Congress] doesn’t work.” The kind of rhetoric that the people of Brazil overlooked when placing Jair Bolsonaro in office is troubling, to say the least. This rhetoric is shockingly similar to the populist sentiments that has defined much of western democracy over the past few years. Brazil’s influence in the region is immense. If Brazil were to succumb to a military coup, few can imagine what that could mean for the already politically unstable South American continent.
Bolsonaro’s campaign and subsequent election worry much of the international community. The president-elect’s victory speech echoes that of President Trump. Vowing to put his political foes, including former President Lula and campaign rival Haddad, behind bars and referring to his opposition and other outsiders as “terrorists”, Balsonaro’s post-election speeches share frightening similarities to that of President Trump and other far-right leaders. The world will have to wait and see how many of his campaign promises Bolsonaro will follow up on and whether or not his rhetoric will have far-reaching effects beyond the borders of Brazil.
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