The verdict is in: with 55.1% of the vote, 63-year old Jair Bolsonaro has been elected as Brazil's president. Bolsonaro, described by the Guardian as "a far-right, pro-gun, pro-torture populist," will be inaugurated on January 1, 2019 (Phillips & Phillips).
The election is one wrought with polarity. Though Bolsonaro has spent the past three decades in the political eye, only two of his proposals have entered into law (Guardian Staff). He is most well known for his rhetoric in regards to race, indigenous communities, women, and homosexuality, which has been inflammatory to the point that he has been charged with inciting hatred by the Brazilian attorney general (Londoño). Additionally, he was forced in 2015 to monetarily compensate Congresswoman Maria do Rosário for his language against her, in which he told her that "she wasn't 'worth raping'" (Guardian Staff).
Bolsonaro's comments as they relate to the workings of the state are also notable. He has explicitly stated that he is "'in favor of a dictatorship,'" characterizing democracy as "'irresponsible,'" setting one of the world's biggest democracies up for a major shift (Guardian staff). The Brazilian military dictatorship that was ousted in 1985, in fact, serves as a major source of his inspiration. The Bolsonaro campaign was run via a promise to infuse the government with expertise by installing retired generals in the Cabinet; unfortunately, much of that 'experience' is associated with military rule. With such explicit statements as "I'm in favor of torture," the likelihood that Bolsonaro will draw upon past principles seems high (Guardian staff).
Indeed, law and order played center stage in the Bolsonaro campaign. The theme of support for torture runs constant in this realm; chemical castration for rapists was but one security proposal. Additionally, in a state that saw 5,144 people die from police action in 2017, Bolsonaro looks to heighten police impunity. This suggestion, though provocative, lacks substance. The Guardian notes that, "while Bolsonaro's manifesto says the armed forces should be prepared to combat violence he does not explain where or how" (Phillips). Ultimately, despite such ambiguity, what we face here amounts to an extension of the arm of the state. After a campaign run on the masculine appeal of strength and security, it is inevitable that coming presidency will operate via the same impulse of machismo.
Despite the protest already underway amongst activists, Bolsonaro has received congratulations from conservatives across the globe. French National Front Leader Marine Le Pen was among those who reached out, despite her previous characterization of Bolsonaro as "extreme" (Watts). She was joined by US President Trump, who tweeted that "Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military and everything else!" The potential of a new alignment here is perhaps unsurprising; Asahi, a Japanese publication, branded Bolsonaro as a "Latin American Trump" (Watts).
As the largest country in South America and the world's fourth-largest democracy, the future of Brazil is central to international democratic alignment. If the Brazilian state experiences a shift to the right, existing military and trade alliances are vulnerable to reshaping. Moreover, in the customary sphere, rhetorical inflammation will be a major source of precedent in the elections of other states. We've already seen the influence of the feelings-based votings that defined this election in that of the United States in 2016— will this ripple effect continue?
Sources:
Guardian Staff. "Who Is Jair Bolsonaro? Brazil's Far-Right President in His Own Words." The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/06/jair-bolsona....
Londoño, Ernesto. "Right-Wing Presidential Contender in Brazil Is Charged With Inciting Hatred." The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/world/americas/brazil-p....
Phillips, Dom. "What Will a Bolsonaro Government Look like?" The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/29/bolsonaro-go....
Phillips, Tom, and Dom Phillips. "Jair Bolsonaro Declared Brazil's next President." The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 28 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/28/jair-bolsona....
Watts, Jonathan. "Trump Joy over Bolsonaro Suggests New Rightwing Axis in Americas and Beyond." The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/29/jair-bolsona....
