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Brazil: One Year of Bolsonaro's Presidency


A person worshipped by the rights as God and ridiculed by the left as extremist. Olavo de Carvalho, a self-taught philosopher, a former journalist, and a former communist was the architect of Brazil’s far right leader Jair Bolsonaro’s victory in the 2018 presidential election. Olavo was an inspiration not only to Bolsonaro but also for his two sons Flavio and Eduardo.

The political crises before the 2018 elections had already impacted the state structures of Brazil. Mistrust of its presidency and national congress was growing among the peoples, democracy was is in peril, and the crises driven by intolerance and rising social polarization. Distrust between the government and citizens was deepening. It was then the far right began to rise not only in Brazil but across Latin America, which has put Brazil under the global spotlight, of following the global lurch to the right.

Source: Brazil's president Jair Messias Bolsonaro, 
Rio Negro

Jair Messias Bolsonaro, a self-styled politician, a former paratrooper, and a divisive
far-right firebrand was elected as the 38th president of Lain America’s most populous and influential country. To his supporters he was the leader who would deliver salvation from Brazil’s social, political and economic crises.

As pledged Bolsonaro declared a crusade against left-wing ideology, crime, and allowing the officers greater freedom to kill the offenders. In his first public speech Bolsonaro voiced to start free itself of socialism, and political correctness, breaking with policies brought in under decades of leftist rule.

It has been 12 months since Brazil came under far-right president. Observers said that the president had held a firm on his ideology at home as well as abroad. A leader compared to Erdogan of Turkey, Duterte of Philippine’s and Donald Trump of US has struggled during his first year as president and had faced roadblocks to get many of his proposals approved by the congress. The most important economic achievement was the overhauling of the countries pension system.

The administration claims that the year has had the highest marks in public security. He has held on for his strong nationalist base of support and had a reasonably good year in terms of progress.  However, more and more people now reject Bolsonaro’s policies. Today, Brazilian society is even more divided than it was during the presidential campaign. The challenges to democracy and civic bodies has been increasing. Tensions were at the peak when the former president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva of The Workers Party was released from the prison it was a powerful symbolic threat to Bolsonaro’s vision.

The president is coming to India as Republic Day chief guest has sparked controversy with many activists inquiring the invitation to him for the celebration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bolsonaro will be the third Brazilian head of the state to attend the Republic Day celebrations. During the visit both the states aims of energizing their bilateral relationship. The invitation should not come as a surprise as both the states had similar political uprisings fueled by the right-wing supporters, the states have a robust relation in both multilateral and plurilateral arenas and have pledged to encourage technological cooperation for a sustainable infrastructure.


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