Brazil’s Trump: Far Right candidate Jair Bolsonaro poised to win run-off election
By Emily Kilner
On October 14th, Ipobe polling firm predicted a 59% to 41% victory for Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party over Fernando Haddad of the Worker’s Party in the Brazil presidential elections. The second round of the elections will take place on October 28th, after he failed to win 50% of the vote to win outright.
The lead-up to Brazil’s elections has not been without incident. Bolsonaro was stabbed at a campaign rally on September 6th and has spent the rest of his time campaigning from a hospital bed. However, it appears that he is poised to take up the Presidency, as he has already began naming members of his would-be cabinet.
Brazil is a country in turmoil, with violent deaths last year reaching 63,880, the most of any country in the world. Unemployment still remains over 12%, and economic stagnation faces a country which is deeply divided politically. Society remains polarized, still reeling from the 2016 impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, and corruption accusations ensued the subsequent presidencies. The ruling elite of Brazil is not perceived well by the general public, who appear to be looking to extremes for their answers, and also to someone who has experience in congress and no previous corruption accusations.
His slogan of “Brazil above everything, God above all” represents traditional family values and nationalism
Who exactly is this candidate, referred to by presidential rival Ciro Gomes as a “little tropical wannabe Hitler”? Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has not been taken seriously the majority of his political life. However, he now boasts a strong backing from those worried about Brazil’s rising crime rates. He uses tough and simplistic law and order talk, and has previously proposed the ideas of arming law-abiding citizens and punishing criminals more harshly. His slogan of “Brazil above everything, God above all” represents traditional family values and nationalism, which many in Brazil believe have slipped. He therefore has a strong backing from the Military and Christians, particularly with his anti-abortion stance.
However, his critics accuse him of racism and misogyny, and thousands of women have marched in the country using the slogan #EleNão (#NotHim). In an interview with PlayBoy in 2011, he stated “I’d prefer to see a son of mine to die in an accident than to be homosexual.” He has caused further controversy by speaking about torture as a legitimate practice and showing favour for the death penalty. His rhetoric in many ways appears strikingly similar to that of Donald Trump, as he has also criticised the Paris climate agreement and in July stated that “Just like he wants to make America great, I want to make Brazil great” to a Roda Viva television program. Further following in Trump’s footsteps, he has suggested that Brazil’s embassy would move in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Employing Trump-like tactics in his campaign, he paints himself as a tropical redeemer ready to re-establish order.
his critics accuse him of racism and misogyny
Despite this controversial rhetoric, the markets appear more positive after this latest result. Many believe that Bolsonaro could help Brazil get out of its economic hole through pension reform and reducing government debt. In charge of South America’s largest economy, he has promised lower taxes and the privatisation of state companies, as well as limiting foreign ownership of natural resources. For investors, he appears safer than Haddad, coming from a party swamped by past corruption scandals.
Bolsonaro brings together social conservatism and economic liberalism, and it’s likely that he is being viewed as the least worst alternative in a deeply polarized Brazil. He has appealed mostly to those who want a safer and less violent Brazil, and has left Haddad with an uphill struggle to the 28th October.
Image by Agência Brasil Fotografias via Flickr