Jair Messias Bolsonaro
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Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th
president of Brazil The president of Brazil (), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil () or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head of government of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the ...
from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
from 1991 to 2019. Born in Glicério, São Paulo, Bolsonaro began serving in the
Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...
in 1973 and graduated from the
Military Academy of Agulhas Negras The Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (, AMAN – named after the Agulhas Negras summit) is the biggest school of formation of combatant officers of the Brazilian Army. It originated in 1792 with the creation of the Royal Academy of Artillery, ...
in 1977. He rose to publicity in 1986 after he wrote an article for '' Veja'' magazine criticizing low wages for military officers, after which he was arrested and detained for fifteen days. He left the army and was elected to the
Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro The Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese colonists. External links Website
Municipal chambers in Brazil Politics o ...
two years later. In 1990, Bolsonaro was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a representative for the
state of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...
. During his 27-year tenure as a congressman, he became known for his
national conservatism National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity, communitarianism and the public role of religion. It shares aspects of traditionalist conservatism and social conserv ...
. Bolsonaro entered the
2018 Brazilian presidential election General elections were held in Brazil on 7 October 2018 to elect the president, National Congress of Brazil, National Congress and Governor (Brazil), state governors. As no candidate in the presidential election (and for the gubernatorial electi ...
, during which he began advocating economically liberal and pro-market policies. He led in the 7 October first round results and defeated
Fernando Haddad Fernando Haddad (; born 25 January 1963) is a Brazilian scholar, lawyer and politician who has served as the Brazilian Minister of Finance since 1 January 2023. He was previously the mayor of São Paulo from 2013 to 2017 and the Brazilian mini ...
in the 28 October runoff. A polarizing and controversial politician, Bolsonaro's views and comments, which have been described as
far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...
and
populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
, have drawn both praise and criticism in Brazil. He is a vocal opponent of
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
,
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
,
affirmative action Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...
,
drug liberalization Drug liberalization is a drug policy process of decriminalizing, legalizing, or repealing laws that prohibit the production, possession, sale, or use of prohibited drugs. Variations of drug liberalization include drug legalization, drug releg ...
, and
secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
. In foreign policy, he has advocated closer relations with
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and with the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
; later in his presidency, he also made efforts to improve relations with the
BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...
countries. Bolsonaro focused on domestic affairs in his first months as president, dealing primarily with the fallout of the
2014 Brazilian economic crisis From mid-2014 until late 2016, Brazil experienced a severe economic crisis. The country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 3.5% in 2015 and 3.3% in 2016, after which a small economic recovery began. That recovery continued until 2020, when the ...
. The economy recovered slowly, while crime rates fell sharply during the first year. He rolled back protections for
Indigenous groups There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
in the
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and facilitated its
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
. Bolsonaro's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Brazil on 25 February 2020, when a man from São Paulo who had traveled to Italy tested positive for the virus. ...
was criticized across the political spectrum after he sought to downplay the pandemic and its effects, opposed quarantine measures, and dismissed two health ministers, while the death toll increased rapidly. In the runoff of the 2022 general election, Bolsonaro lost to
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
. On 8 January 2023, his supporters stormed federal government buildings, calling for a coup d'état. On 30 June, the
Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...
blocked Bolsonaro from seeking office until 2030 for attempting to undermine the validity of the election through his unfounded claims of voter fraud, and for abusing his power by using government communication channels to both promote his campaign and to allege fraud. Testimonies from military officials showed that Bolsonaro had allegedly planned a
self-coup A self-coup, also called an autocoup () or coup from the top, is a form of coup d'état in which a political leader, having come to power through legal means, stays in power illegally through the actions of themselves or their supporters. The le ...
with the military to keep himself in power. , Bolsonaro has been formally accused by the Federal Police of multiple crimes related to the alleged coup. He was charged in February 2025, and the Supreme Court ruled he must stand trial.


Early life

Jair Messias Bolsonaro was born on 21 March 1955 in Glicério, São Paulo, in
southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
Brazil, to Percy Geraldo Bolsonaro and Olinda Bonturi. His family is mostly of
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
descent, with
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
ancestry as well. On his father's side, he is the great-grandson of Italians from
Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
and
Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
. Bolsonaro's paternal grandfather's family comes from Veneto, more precisely
Anguillara Veneta Anguillara Veneta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about south of Padua. The city is known for being the town of origin of the Bolsonaro family, a promine ...
, in the
province of Padua The province of Padua () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Padua. Geography It has an area of 2,142 km2, and a total population of 936,492 (2016) making it the most populated provi ...
. His great-grandfather, Vittorio Bolzonaro (the surname was originally written with a "z"), was born on 12 April 1878. Vittorio's parents immigrated to Brazil when he was ten, together with his siblings, Giovanna and Tranquillo. His German ancestry came from his father's maternal grandfather, Carl "Carlos" Hintze, born in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
around 1876, who immigrated to Brazil in 1883. His maternal grandparents were born in
Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...
, in
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
, and went to live in Brazil in the 1890s. On 21 January 2022, his mother Olinda Bonturi Bolsonaro died at age 94. His father Percy Geraldo Bolsonaro died in 1995. Bolsonaro spent most of his childhood moving around São Paulo with his family, living in Ribeira,
Jundiaí Jundiaí is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil, located north of São Paulo. The population of the city is 443,221, with an area ...
, and Sete Barras, before settling in Eldorado, in the state's southern region, in 1966, where he grew up with his five brothers. His first name is a tribute to
Jair da Rosa Pinto Jair da Rosa Pinto (21 March 1921 – 28 July 2005), or simply Jair, was an association footballer who played offensive midfielder – one of the leading Brazilian men's footballers of the 1940s and 1950s, who is best remembered for his per ...
, a football player for
Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...
, with whom he shares a birthday.


Military career

In his final years in high school, Bolsonaro was admitted to the
Escola Preparatória de Cadetes do Exército The Escola Preparatória de Cadetes do Exército - EsPCEx (Brazilian Army Preparatory School of Cadets) is a coeducational one-year military school in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. EsPCEx started construction in 1944, but due to budget constrai ...
(the prep school of the
Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...
), which he entered in 1973. In 1974, he went to the
Military Academy of Agulhas Negras The Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (, AMAN – named after the Agulhas Negras summit) is the biggest school of formation of combatant officers of the Brazilian Army. It originated in 1792 with the creation of the Royal Academy of Artillery, ...
(Brazil's main military academy), graduating in 1977 as an
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
officer. He served in the 9th Field Artillery Group, in Nioaque, Mato Grosso do Sul. Later he studied at the Army Physical Training School in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
and served in the 21st Field Artillery Group and the 8th Paratrooper Field Artillery Group, from the Paratrooper Brigade, both in the same city. His superior officers said he was "aggressive" and had "excessive ambition to get financial and economical gain". The assessment referred to Bolsonaro's attempt to mine gold in
Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
state; according to him, the activity was only a "hobby and mental hygiene". In 1987, he studied in the Officers Improvement School, where he made the Artillery Advanced Course. Bolsonaro first rose to public attention in 1986 when he gave an interview to the news magazine ''Veja''. He complained about low military salaries and claimed that the High Command was dismissing officers due to budgetary cuts, not because they were displaying "deviations of conduct", as the command had told the press. Despite being reprimanded by his superiors, Bolsonaro received praise from fellow officers and wives of military men, becoming a household name for hardliners and right-wingers who were growing disenchanted with Brazil's new civilian democratic government. In October 1987, Bolsonaro faced a new accusation. ''Veja'' reported that, with an Army colleague, he had plans to plant bombs in military units in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
. After Bolsonaro called the allegation "a fantasy", the magazine published, in its next issue, sketches in which the plan was detailed. The drawings had allegedly been made by Bolsonaro. Official records unearthed by the newspaper ''
O Estado de S. Paulo ''O Estado de S. Paulo'' (; ), also known as ''Estadão'' (; ), is a daily newspaper published in State of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. It is the third largest newspaper in Brazil, and its format changed from broadsheet to Berliner (format), ...
'' in 2018 detailed the case. After an investigation by an administrative military bureau named Justification Board, Bolsonaro was unanimously considered guilty. According to this board, Bolsonaro had a "serious personality deviation and a professional deformation", "lack of moral courage to leave the Army" and "lied throughout the process" when denying frequent contacts with ''Veja''. The Supreme Military Court then analysed the case. The general in charge of reporting the case voted to acquit Bolsonaro, arguing that he had already been penalized for the initial ''Veja'' article, that there was no testimonial evidence of his plans to plant bombs, and that there were "deep contradictions in the four graphological exams", two of which failed to conclude that Bolsonaro was the author of the sketches. Bolsonaro was acquitted by the majority of the court (9v 4votes). In December 1988, just after this ruling, he left the Army to begin his political career. He served in the military for 15 years, reaching the rank of captain.


Early political career


Councilor of Rio de Janeiro (1989–1991)

Bolsonaro entered politics in 1988, elected
city councilor A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counci ...
in Rio de Janeiro, representing the
Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...
(PDC). According to the biography by his son Flávio, Bolsonaro "was a candidate for councilor because it happened to be the only option he had at the moment to avoid persecution by some superiors. His entry into politics happened by chance, for his desire was to continue in his military career". Bolsonaro spent only two years in the
Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro The Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese colonists. External links Website
Municipal chambers in Brazil Politics o ...
. He was described as a quiet, discreet and conservative councilor, and showed little participation. His term as councilor was used mainly to give visibility to military causes, such as retirement benefits for former officers.


Federal Deputy for Rio de Janeiro (1991–2018)

In the 1990 elections, Bolsonaro was elected a
federal deputy A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-national ...
for the Christian Democratic Party. He served seven consecutive terms, from 1991 to 2018. He has been affiliated with several other Brazilian political parties over the years. In 2014, he was the congressman who gained the most votes in Rio de Janeiro, with 465,000. Bolsonaro's name was listed on the "", a list detailing a corruption and money laundering scheme involving the state-owned electricity company, Eletrobras Furnas. He received housing assistance for deputies who do not have residences in the Brazilian capital
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
despite having an apartment in the southwest of Brasília. He has later admitted that he considers this practice of his "immoral". He has also been accused of engaging in fuel allowance fraud. In his 27 years of service in the
Brazilian National Congress The National Congress () is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government. Unlike the state legislative assemblies and Câmara Municipal, municipal chambers, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate (Brazil), Federal Sena ...
, Bolsonaro put forward one constitutional amendment and at least 171 bills, two of which became law. Bolsonaro, who claims to be persecuted by the left-wing parties, said most congressmen do not vote according to their agenda, but "by who the author of the bill is". In January 2018, Bolsonaro abandoned the Social Christian Party and switched to the Social Liberal Party (PSL). After his arrival, the PSL adopted conservative and right-wing positions, and its social liberal group ''
Livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...
'' announced its departure from the PSL.


Presidential campaign (2018)

On 22 July 2018, the PSL nominated Bolsonaro for president in the 2018 election. The
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party The Brazilian Labour Renewal Party (, PRTB) is a conservative Brazilian political party. It was founded in 1994 and its electoral number is 28. According to the party's official website, the PRTB's main ideology is participatory economics: "to ...
also endorsed him. His coalition name was "Brazil above everything, God above everyone" ('). Though contested by two lawsuits, the
Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...
of Brazil deferred them and his candidacy was made official on 6 August. In August, Bolsonaro announced that
Antônio Hamilton Mourão Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popula ...
, a retired army general, would be his running mate. According to political pundits, Bolsonaro moderated his tone early in the campaign, taking a less aggressive and confrontational style. Economically, he started to support less government intervention in the economy (in contrast to the past, when he defended
developmentalist Developmentalism is an economic theory which states that the best way for less developed economies to develop is through fostering a strong and varied internal market and imposing high tariffs on imported goods. Developmentalism is a cross-disci ...
policies). On the other hand, he maintained his tough stance on crime and his defence of "traditional family values". Bolsonaro also said he planned to cut
taxes A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
across the board, particularly on inheritances and businesses, to generate growth and tackle unemployment. He also promised more
austerity In economic policy, austerity is a set of Political economy, political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through Government spending, spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three prim ...
measures and cuts in government spending, but had difficulty naming the areas where he would make cuts. He also said he would work to diminish the federal government's size and bureaucracy by enacting a wide variety of
deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
measures. Bolsonaro's promises to restore security amid record high crime and to stamp out Brazil's rampant
political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...
won him huge popular support. In October, he announced he would name
Paulo Guedes Paulo Roberto Nunes Guedes (born 24 August 1949) is a Brazilian economist and co-founder of the investment bank BTG Pactual. He is also a co-founder of the think-tank Instituto Millenium, and was the economic advisor for the campaign of Pres ...
, a
liberal economist Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...
, as his finance minister. On 9 August 2018, Bolsonaro attended the first presidential debate of the year, organized by the TV network
Rede Bandeirantes Rede Bandeirantes (, ''Bandeirantes Network''), or simply known as Band (), is a Brazilian free-to-air television network. It began broadcasting on May 13, 1967 on VHF channel 13 in São Paulo. Its founder was businessman :pt:João Saad, Jo ...
. A week later, there was another debate at
RedeTV! RedeTV! (, also Rede TV! or RTV! or TV Ômega) is a Brazilian television network owned by Amilcare Dallevo and Marcelo de Carvalho. It is the newest television network, among the five major networks in Brazil, being a relaunch of Rede Manchete ...
On 28 August, he gave an interview to ''
Jornal Nacional ; ) is the flagship television newscast of TV Globo. First airing on September 1, 1969, according to IBOPE ( Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics), in the week of September 28October 4, 2015, it was the second most watched progra ...
'', Brazil's highest-rated primetime news programme, at
Rede Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965 ...
. Bolsonaro was the first presidential candidate to raise over R$1 million in donations from the public during the 2018 campaign. In the first 59 days, he amassed an average of R$17,000 per day. After the
Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...
candidate
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
was arrested in April 2018, Bolsonaro became the frontrunner according to all major opinion polls. A ''
Datafolha Datafolha is Grupo Folha's polling institute, founded in 1983 as the research department of Empresa Folha da Manhã S. A., and later on became a separate company able to serve external clients, from 1990. In 1995, it became a separate business uni ...
'' poll from September showed Bolsonaro as the leading candidate in the first round with 28% of vote intentions, though runoff scenarios showed him losing to
Geraldo Alckmin Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho (; born 7 November 1952) is a Brazilian physician and politician currently serving as 26th vice president of Brazil. He previously was the List of governors of São Paulo, Governor of São Paulo (state), S ...
,
Fernando Haddad Fernando Haddad (; born 25 January 1963) is a Brazilian scholar, lawyer and politician who has served as the Brazilian Minister of Finance since 1 January 2023. He was previously the mayor of São Paulo from 2013 to 2017 and the Brazilian mini ...
, and
Ciro Gomes Ciro Ferreira Gomes (; born 6 November 1957), known mononymously as Ciro, is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and academic. Ciro is currently affiliated with and vice-president of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT). Born in São Paulo but rais ...
and tying with
Marina Silva Maria Osmarina Marina da Silva Vaz de Lima (born Maria Osmarina da Silva; 8 February 1958), known as Marina Silva, is a Brazilian politician and environmentalist, currently serving as Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, a position ...
. Another ''Datafolha'' poll, conducted the week before election day, showed a considerable surge for Bolsonaro, who had 40% of vote intentions, or 36% when null or blank vote intentions were included. Haddad came in second with 25% and Gomes third with 15%. The first round of the election occurred on 7October 2018. Bolsonaro finished in first place with 46% of the popular vote (49.2 million). Since he failed to win over 50%, he faced the second-place finisher, Haddad, in a runoff held on 28 October 2018. After the first round, when his victory looked certain, Bolsonaro gave a speech by videolink to thousands of supporters who gathered at Paulista Avenue, in São Paulo. In the speech, he threatened to arrest, purge or kill "reds" and "petralhas" (a derogatory term for Workers' Party members), and promised that members of the social movements MST and
MTST The IBM MT/ST (Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter, and known in Europe as MT72) is a model of the IBM Selectric typewriter, built into its own desk, integrated with magnetic tape recording and playback facilities, located in an attached enclosure ...
would be treated as "terrorists". He said: "This time, the clean-up will be even greater. This group reds" if they want to stay, will have to abide by our laws... These red outlaws will be banned from our homeland. Either they go overseas, or they go to jail... Petralhada, you all go to the edge of the beach. It will be a cleaning never seen in the history of Brazil". The "edge of the beach", a Bolsonaro aide later confirmed, was a reference to a
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
base at
Restinga da Marambaia The Restinga da Marambaia is a restinga in the coast of the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. It is 42 km long and separates Sepetiba Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, being a part of the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro, Itaguaí and Mangar ...
, in Rio de Janeiro State, where the
Brazilian military dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against presi ...
tortured and killed dissidents. The speech was widely condemned by rivals, journalists and politicians. Bolsonaro won the runoff election with 55.13% of the votes, and was elected the 38th president of Brazil. He took office on 1January 2019. During the campaign, academics repeatedly raised concerns about the consequences of Bolsonaro's rise for Brazilian democracy. In the news magazine ''
Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
'',
Federico Finchelstein Federico Finchelstein is an Argentine historian and chair of the history department at the New School for Social Research and is director of the Janey Program in Latin American Studies. After receiving his undergraduate education at the Universit ...
, a historian at the
New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...
who specializes in fascism, wrote, "Bolsonaro's vocabulary recalls the rhetoric behind Nazi policies of persecution and victimization. But does sounding like a Nazi make him a Nazi? Insomuch as he believes in holding elections, he is not there yet. However, things could change quickly if he gains power".
Jason Stanley Jason Stanley (born 1969) is an American philosopher who is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. He has accepted an appointment at the University of Toronto based on what he describes as the deteriorating political situ ...
, a
Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
philosopher who has published widely on Nazism, said that Bolsonaro "uses more tactics associated to fascism than heAmerican president Donald Trump".
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
's
Steven Levitsky Steven Robert Levitsky (born January 17, 1968) is an American political scientist and professor of government at Harvard University and a senior fellow for democracy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a senior fellow at the Kette ...
said that Bolsonaro "is clearly authoritarian", but not a fascist. Similar concerns were raised by analysts in Portugal and Brazil. Others, such as Marxist historian
Perry Anderson Francis Rory Peregrine "Perry" Anderson (born 11 September 1938) is a British intellectual, political philosopher, historian and essayist. His work ranges across historical sociology, intellectual history, and cultural analysis. What unites An ...
, dismissed the "fascist" and "populist" labels altogether. Another highly controversial aspect of the campaign was the alleged use of illegal digital communication strategies by some of Bolsonaro's most important financial supporters. According to an investigation by ''
Folha ''Folha de S.Paulo'' (sometimes spelled ''Folha de São Paulo''), also known as simply ''Folha'' (, ''Sheet''), is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded in 1921 under the name ''Folha da Noite'' and published in São Paulo by the Folha da Manhã c ...
'', one of Brazil's bestselling newspapers, "Bolsonaro has been getting an illegal helping hand from a group of Brazilian entrepreneurs who are bankrolling a campaign to bombard
WhatsApp WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta. It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages, make vo ...
users with
fake news Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...
about Haddad". The suspicions led to a formal investigation by electoral authorities and the Federal Police; Bolsonaro and allies denied any wrongdoing. Another controversial point was that Taíse Feijó, an adviser in Bolsonaro's government, was among those paid to feed fake news to his supporters.


Attempted assassination

Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen on 6September 2018 while campaigning and interacting with supporters in
Juiz de Fora Juiz de Fora (; ), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 census the current population is 54 ...
, Minas Gerais. At first, his son
Flávio Bolsonaro Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro (born 30 April 1981) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and entrepreneur who is the eldest child of the 38th President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janei ...
stated that his father's wounds were only superficial and he was recovering in the hospital, but he later said the wounds seemed worse than initially thought and his father most likely would not be able to start campaigning personally before the end of the first round. He tweeted about his father's condition, explaining that the perforation had reached parts of the liver, lung, and intestine. He also said that Bolsonaro had lost a large amount of blood, arriving at the hospital with severe
hypotension Hypotension, also known as low blood pressure, is a cardiovascular condition characterized by abnormally reduced blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood and is ...
(his
blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of Circulatory system, circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term ...
was 10/3, equivalent to 100/30 mmHg), but that he had since stabilized. The attack was condemned by most of the other candidates in the presidential race, and by then president
Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 1 January 2019. He took office after the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impe ...
. The day after the attack, Bolsonaro was transferred to the
Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital The Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital () is a Brazilian private hospital, located in the Morumbi district, on the south side of São Paulo. It is considered the best hospital in Latin America. In 2024 it was ranked among the top 30 best hospit ...
in São Paulo, after a request from his family. According to the doctors, he was in an "extremely stable" condition. Police arrested the attacker and identified him as Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, who, according to security agents, claimed he was on "a mission from God". He had been a member of the
Socialism and Liberty Party The Socialism and Liberty Party (, ; PSOL ) is a left-wing political party in Brazil. The party describes itself as socialist and democratic. The party leader is Paula Coradi and the federal deputies Ivan Valente, Talíria Petrone, Sâmi ...
from 2007 to 2014. His social media posts included political criticisms of both Bolsonaro and Temer. But an initial Federal Police investigation concluded that Adélio had no help from political organizations and acted alone. A medical report produced for a second investigation concluded that Bispo is mentally disturbed, having a "permanent paranoid delusional disorder" which, according to Brazilian law, prevents him from being considered legally liable for his actions. In a May 2019 decision, the Federal Court found Bispo not liable. Bolsonaro did not appeal the decision. On 29 September, a month after the attack, Bolsonaro was released from the hospital and returned to his home in Rio de Janeiro. His condition prevented him from returning to the campaign trail for the remainder of the first round of the presidential election. The first federal police investigation into the attack concluded that the attacker acted alone, but the investigation "leaves out many issues". Bolsonaro said he did not observe "any effort by former minister
Sergio Moro Sergio Fernando Moro (; born 1 August 1972) is a Brazilian jurist, former federal judge, college professor, and politician. He was elected as a member of the Federal Senate for Paraná in October 2022. In 2015, he gained national attention as ...
to resolve the matter". Joaquim de Carvalho has said that the police left out of their investigation the search for information by a mastermind of the attack or even a self-attack. For this, expert medical examination of Bolsonaro and review of the medical records would be needed.


Personal motto

Bolsonaro's personal
motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
, which he established in 2016, is
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
8:32: "
The truth will set you free "The truth will set you free" (Latin: Vēritās līberābit vōs (biblical) or Vēritās vōs līberābit (common), Greek: ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς, transl. hē alḗtheia eleutherṓsei hūmâs) is a statement foun ...
".


Protests

The same weekend he left the hospital, thousands of people took the streets in dozens of cities in Brazil to protest against Bolsonaro and his political stances, chanting "'" ("Not him"). There were also rallies in support of the candidate in sixteen states.


Presidency (2019–2023)

Bolsonaro was sworn in as President of the Republic on 1January 2019, succeeding
Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 1 January 2019. He took office after the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impe ...
. Bolsonaro began to get his cabinet together before his inauguration, choosing economist
Paulo Guedes Paulo Roberto Nunes Guedes (born 24 August 1949) is a Brazilian economist and co-founder of the investment bank BTG Pactual. He is also a co-founder of the think-tank Instituto Millenium, and was the economic advisor for the campaign of Pres ...
as his Economy minister and astronaut
Marcos Pontes Marcos Cesar Pontes (born 11 March 1963) is a Brazilian Air Force pilot, engineer, Agência Espacial Brasileira, AEB astronaut, politician and author. He became the first South American and the first Lusophone to go into space when he docked ont ...
as his Science and Technology minister. Bolsonaro initially said his cabinet would be composed of 15 members; this figure later rose to 22 when he announced his final minister, Ricardo Salles, in December. His predecessor,
Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 1 January 2019. He took office after the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impe ...
, had a cabinet of 29 members. Bolsonaro's initial
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
was composed of 16 ministers, two cabinet-level positions, and four presidential secretaries, including Chief of Staff
Onyx Lorenzoni Onyx Dornelles Lorenzoni (born 3 October 1954) is a Brazilian politician, businessman, and veterinarian. A member of the Liberal Party (PL), he served as a federal deputy from Rio Grande do Sul for five terms. After the 2018 Brazilian general ...
. Bolsonaro's ministers included
Operation Car Wash Operation Car Wash (, ) was a landmark anti-corruption probe in Brazil.Kurtenbach, S., & Nolte, D. (2017). Latin America's Fight against Corruption: The End of Impunity. GIGA Focus Lateinamerika, (03). Beginning in March 2014 as the investiga ...
judge
Sergio Moro Sergio Fernando Moro (; born 1 August 1972) is a Brazilian jurist, former federal judge, college professor, and politician. He was elected as a member of the Federal Senate for Paraná in October 2022. In 2015, he gained national attention as ...
as Justice minister and congresswoman Tereza Cristina as minister of Agriculture. Bolsonaro placed many army officers in key positions in his cabinet. Before his inauguration, he said he would fill positions in his government based only on technical qualifications and skills rather than ideological sympathy; however, many appointees clashed ideologically with the government during his presidency and fell out of favor with Bolsonaro. By June 2020, the ministers of
Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
and
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, the
Secretary of Government The Secretary of Government of Brazil (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Secretaria de Governo do Brasil'') was a Cabinet of Brazil, cabinet-level federal government of Brazil, federal list of federal institutions of Brazil, minister in Federati ...
, the head of the
postal service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...
and other government officials had already resigned. Early in his administration, Bolsonaro focused primarily on domestic and economic issues, ranging from tax reform to changes in social security, but he faced an uphill battle with Congress. Bolsonaro stripped the indigenous affairs agency
FUNAI is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. Currently, it is in liquidation. Apart from producing its own branded electronic products, it was also an OEM providing assembled televisions and video players/recor ...
of the responsibility to identify and demarcate indigenous lands, arguing that those territories have tiny, isolated populations who would be controlled by NPOs, and proposed to integrate them into the larger Brazilian society. Critics feared that such integration would force Brazilian Amerindians to suffer
cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's Dominant culture, majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this ...
. Argentine President
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
was the first foreign leader Bolsonaro received on a state visit to
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
after he became president. The second inauguration of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela took place nine days after Bolsonaro's inauguration. The disputed results of the
2018 Venezuelan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Venezuela on 20 May 2018, with incumbent Nicolás Maduro being declared reelected for a second six-year term. The original electoral date was scheduled for December 2018 but was subsequently pulled ahead to ...
led to the
Venezuelan presidential crisis The Venezuelan presidential crisis was a political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela between 2019 and 2023, with the nation and the world divided in support for Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó. Venezu ...
, as the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
rejected the results, considered Maduro an illegitimate ruler since his first term of office ended, and appointed
Juan Guaidó Juan Gerardo Antonio Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician and opposition figure. He belonged to the social-democratic party Popular Will, and was a federal deputy to the National Assembly representing the state of V ...
as acting president. Bolsonaro did not attend Maduro's inauguration and recognized Guaidó as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela, alongside
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
from Argentina and
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
from the US, among others. He said that "We will continue doing everything possible to re-establish order, democracy and freedom there". After his first year in power, Bolsonaro's
popularity In sociology, popularity is how much a person, idea, place, item or other concept is either liked or accorded status by other people. Liking can be due to reciprocal liking, interpersonal attraction, and similar factors. Social status can be d ...
steadily declined. A ''Datafolha'' survey, published on 21 May 2019, showed that 34% of respondents described Bolsonaro's administration as "great or good"; 26% as "regular", 36% as "bad or awful", while 4% did not respond. This was the first time more Brazilians rejected the politics of Bolsonaro than affirmed it. Meanwhile, after allegations of campaign-finance fraud, Bolsonaro fired Gustavo Bebianno, a top adviser and general secretary for the president. His party was accused of diverting public campaign funds to candidates who did not run for office. In November 2019, Bolsonaro left the Social Liberal Party due to conflicts with its leadership. He attempted to form his own party,
Alliance for Brazil Alliance for Brazil (, ALIANÇA) was a Brazilian far-right political group that aimed to become a political party. With national-conservative roots, it was announced by President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro on 12 November 2019 after stating his de ...
(), but it failed to gather enough signatures to register at the
Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...
for the
2020 Brazilian municipal elections Municipal elections took place in Brazil on 15 November 2020 (and 29 November, for cities with more than 200,000 voters where the second polling date was available). Electors chose Mayors, Vice-Mayors and City Councillors of all 5,568 cities o ...
or the
2022 Brazilian general election General elections were held in Brazil on 2 October 2022 to elect the President of Brazil, president, Vice President of Brazil, vice president, the National Congress of Brazil, National Congress, the 2022 Brazilian gubernatorial elections, govern ...
, leaving Bolsonaro without a party until 2021. Throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Brazil on 25 February 2020, when a man from São Paulo who had traveled to Italy tested positive for the virus. ...
, Bolsonaro and his administration were accused of downplaying the crisis while the number of Brazilians infected by the virus climbed exponentially by mid-2020. Bolsonaro claimed that COVID-19 was no deadlier than " the flu" and that his priority was the nation's economic recovery rather than the health crisis. In fact, as of early 2021, the Brazilian economy was bouncing back, albeit somewhat slowly and inconsistently, as the pandemic was still threatening to undo any economic recovery. Bolsonaro continually accused political opponents and the press of exaggerating the threat of the virus and called it a "fantasy" created by the media. In August 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, Bolsonaro's approval rating showed signs of recovery, reaching its highest level since his inauguration. In November 2020, he said he would not take a COVID vaccine if it became available, but he later said he would support any possible vaccine if the Brazilian Health Agency deemed it safe. In the same broadcast, he called face masks "the last taboo to fall". In 2020, the
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is a global network of Investigative journalism, investigative journalists. It was founded in 2006 and specializes in organized crime and corruption. It publishes its stories through ...
(OCCRP), an international non-governmental organization that investigates crime and corruption, gave Bolsonaro its Person of the Year Award, which "recognizes the individual who has done the most in the world to advance organized criminal activity and corruption". Bolsonaro received the award for "surrounding himself with corrupt figures, using propaganda to promote his populist agenda, undermining the justice system, and waging a destructive war against the Amazon region that has enriched some of the country's worst land owners". In early 2021, Bolsonaro's approval ratings fell again, mostly due to the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination controversies, and the concurrent economic crisis that evolved under his watch. Days after Brazil surpassed Russia as the country worst hit by COVID, Bolsonaro held a political rally in Brasília; while surrounded by supporters and his own security guards, who were wearing masks, he did not. In June 2021, nationwide protests erupted against Bolsonaro's response to the pandemic; in São Paulo alone there were estimated to be 100,000 protesters on the streets. In July, YouTube removed videos posted by Bolsonaro for spreading false information about the virus. YouTube has reportedly removed 15 videos altogether; one that was removed had shown Brazil's former health minister,
Eduardo Pazuello Eduardo Pazuello (born 19 July 1963) is a Brazilian divisional general of the Brazilian Army and politician, he served as Minister of Health between 2020 and 2021. Career Pazuello was born in Rio de Janeiro to a prominent Moroccan-Jewish famil ...
, comparing the virus to HIV. In other videos, Bolsonaro criticized efforts to stop the spread of the virus, such as wearing masks or taking the vaccine. By the end of June 2021, more members of the opposition started to call for his impeachment over his handling of the pandemic and spreading
misinformation Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. Misinformation and disinformation are not interchangeable terms: misinformation can exist with or without specific malicious intent, whereas disinformation is distinct in that the information ...
. The opposition signed a document with multiple accusations, such as blaming Bolsonaro for the deaths of 500,000 Brazilians from COVID-19, stating that his government had blatantly turned down expert advice on tackling the virus, and at least 20 other grievances. In July 2021, Bolsonaro claimed on Brazilian radio that his government's greatest achievement was "two and a half years without corruption". In the same month, a scandal dubbed "vaccine-gate" emerged. After months of denying offers of vaccines and bartering the costs, Bolsonaro's government made a deal to buy the unapproved
Covaxin Covaxin (list of pharmaceutical compound number prefixes, development name, BBV152) is a Inactivated vaccine, whole inactivated virus-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Res ...
vaccine from the Indian company Bharat Biotech at a very high price. It was found that the government allegedly paid ten times the amount agreed by Bharat Biotech for the vaccine and that the irregularities were not found in the prices of the vaccines, but in a payment of $45 million to a company in Singapore. In response, the Brazilian Supreme Court authorized a criminal investigation of Bolsonaro. In March 2021, Bolsonaro replaced defence minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva with
Walter Souza Braga Netto Walter Souza Braga Netto (born 11 March 1957) is a retired Brazilian army general and former Minister of Defence. Braga was Commander of the Eastern Military Command and, until 31 December 2018, Federal Interventor in the Public Security of the s ...
; like Bolsonaro, Netto lionized the 1964–1985
military dictatorship in Brazil The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United Stat ...
. A day later, the leaders of the army, air force, and navy all resigned. In April, Bolsonaro declared that the Brazilian armed forces would "go into the streets" if he ordered them. In mid-August, the military conducted a ten-minute tank parade in Brasília, with Bolsonaro in attendance. The parade had been held annually in the last 30 years, but tanks had never been sent to the capital before. The parade was announced only a day in advance, and passed by the national congressional building, where lawmakers were due to vote on Bolsonaro's proposed election-related changes hours later. The lawmakers ultimately rejected the changes. On 28 July 2021, Bolsonaro appointed Ciro Noguiera, a senator who was implicated in the Odebrecht corruption case, as his
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
. In early August 2021, Bolsonaro threatened to respond with unconstitutional measures to an investigation over his baseless allegations of fraud vulnerabilities in Brazil's electronic voting system, because he deemed that investigation unconstitutional. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice
Alexandre de Moraes Alexandre de Moraes (; born 13 December 1968) is a Brazilian jurist, former politician, former president of the Superior Electoral Court and currently justice of the Supreme Federal Court. Moraes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President M ...
had approved the investigation. In mid-August 2021, Bolsonaro warned of a potential "institutional rupture", while urging the Brazilian Senate to charge de Moraes and another Supreme Court Judge, Luis Roberto Barroso, the leader of the electoral court. On 26 October 2021, a senate committee approved a report calling for Bolsonaro to face criminal charges, including crimes against humanity, for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without a political party, Bolsonaro began to negotiate his entrance in one in preparation for the
2022 Brazilian general election General elections were held in Brazil on 2 October 2022 to elect the President of Brazil, president, Vice President of Brazil, vice president, the National Congress of Brazil, National Congress, the 2022 Brazilian gubernatorial elections, govern ...
(as the
1988 Brazilian Constitution The Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil () is the supreme law of Brazil. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Brazil and the federal government of Brazil. It replaced the autocratic ...
does not allow
independent politician An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or Bureaucracy, bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicia ...
s). He negotiated with the
Progressistas Progressistas (; PP) is a centre-right to Right-wing politics, right-wing political party in Brazil. Founded in 1995 as the Brazilian Progressive Party, it emerged from parties that were successors to National Renewal Alliance, ARENA, the ruling p ...
(PP), of which he was a member from 1995 to 2003 and from 2005 to 2016, and the Social Christian Party (PSC), of which he was a member from 2016 to 2018, the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB),
Brazilian Woman's Party The Brazilian Woman's Party (, PMB) is a Right-wing politics, right-wing political party in Brazil which uses the number 35. Known for its non-feminist and anti-abortion stance, the party is not represented in the National Congress of Brazil, Na ...
(PMB),
Christian Democracy Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...
(DC),
Party of National Mobilization The National Mobilization (, MOBILIZA) is a political party in Brazil founded by politicians from the state of Minas Gerais on April 21, 1984, advocating for agrarian reform, termination of debt payments, ending of relations with the Internati ...
(PMN), the
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and
Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...
(PATRI). On 30 November 2021, Bolsonaro and his son Senator
Flávio Bolsonaro Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro (born 30 April 1981) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and entrepreneur who is the eldest child of the 38th President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janei ...
joined the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
(PL). According to political analysts, the choice represents the consolidation of the alliance of Bolsonaro with the ', a large bloc of parties without consistent ideological orientation that supports different sides of the political spectrum to gain political privileges—PL being one of them. Bolsonaro previously made deals with the ''Centrão'' for support in Congress. On 23 June 2022, Bolsonaro defended his former education minister, Milton Ribeiro, after the latter was arrested on corruption charges.


2022 presidential election

In a runoff presidential election on 30 October, Bolsonaro was defeated by former president
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
, who took 50.9% of the votes cast. Lula had won the most votes in the first round of the election on 2 October, receiving 48.43% of the votes cast: Bolsonaro received 43.20%. In a press conference at the
Palácio da Alvorada The Palácio da Alvorada () is the official residence of the president of Brazil. It is located in the national capital of Brasília, on a peninsula at the margins of Paranoá Lake. The building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and built betwee ...
on 1 November, Bolsonaro did not acknowledge his defeat but stated that he would "comply with the Constitution". Regarding the protests by his supporters, he referred to them as "the fruit of indignation and a sense of injustice of how the electoral process unfolded", while calling on them to remain peaceful and not block roads. Shortly after his speech, the Supreme Court stated that by authorizing the transition of power he had recognized the results, paving the way for the transition two days after Lula was recognized as the winner. Bolsonaro left for the United States on 30 December to avoid taking part in the swearing-in ceremony of Lula, leaving Vice President Hamilton Mourão as the acting president. The documentary ''
Apocalypse in the Tropics ''Apocalypse in the Tropics'' () is a 2024 documentary film directed by Petra Costa about the influence of evangelical Christianity on far-right politics in Brazil. The film premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festi ...
'' (2024) shows how evangelical pastor
Silas Malafaia Silas Lima Malafaia (born 14 September 1958) is a Brazilian Pentecostal pastor, author and televangelist, who also has a degree in Psychology. He is the leader of the Pentecostal church ''Assembleia de Deus Vitória em Cristo'' (Assembly of God V ...
had a defining influence on Bolsanaro, while mustering support from Brazil's evangelical movement, in the path to Bolsanaro losing the election and in the protests and attempted insurrection that followed.


Post-presidency (2023–present)

On December 30, 2022, one day before Bolsonaro's term ended, he arrived in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
and resided in
Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a principal city of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...
for a couple of months. On 8 January 2023, his supporters attacked the buildings of the
Supreme Court of Brazil The Federal Supreme Court (, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the country's Constitutional Court. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for constitutional issues and its rulings ...
, the
National Congress of Brazil The National Congress () is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government. Unlike the state legislative assemblies and Câmara Municipal, municipal chambers, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate (Brazil), Federal Sena ...
and the Planalto Presidential Palace in an attempt to instigate a military coup d'état and reinstate Bolsonaro as president. While the riots were going on, President Lula blamed Bolsonaro in a press conference. Bolsonaro condemned the protesters in a tweet on 9 January, and denied responsibility. In February 2023, Bolsonaro announced that he would be returning to Brazil in March. This would be the first time Bolsonaro returned to the country since December 2022. Bolsonaro had entered the United States on a diplomatic visa which expired on 31 January, but the family applied for tourist visas to extend their stay in Florida. Bolsonaro returned to Brazil in March 2023 for the first time since his supporters stormed the Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidential palace two months before. Bolsonaro has stated that he returned to the country to help his party and asserted that he intended to campaign for the
2024 elections This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...
. On 14 April 2023, Supreme Court judge
Alexandre de Moraes Alexandre de Moraes (; born 13 December 1968) is a Brazilian jurist, former politician, former president of the Superior Electoral Court and currently justice of the Supreme Federal Court. Moraes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President M ...
ordered Bolsonaro to submit himself for questioning with the
Brazilian Federal Police The Federal Police of Brazil () or Department of Federal Police () is a federal law enforcement agency of Brazil and One of the most know nationals Polices forces of the Executive Power of Brazil. Besides with Polícia Rodoviária Federal (Feder ...
over the storming of the Congress.


Charges of coup planning and fraud

On 30 June 2023, the Brazilian
Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...
barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030 as a result of his attempts to undermine the validity of Brazil's 2022 democratic election, as well as for abuse of power with regard to using government channels to promote his campaign. The decision applies to municipal, state and federal elections for the next eight years. He was prosecuted for several allegations of fraud in the 2022 Brazilian elections and situations linked to the January 8 attack on federal government buildings. The decision came after a 5–2 vote in favor of conviction. Following the decision, Bolsonaro stated his intentions to appeal. On 31 October 2023, Bolsonaro was again convicted by the Superior Electoral Court over
abuse of power Abuse of power or abuse of authority, in the form of "malfeasance in office" or "official abuse of power", is the commission of an Crime, unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasan ...
for using official Brazil's Independence Day ceremony to promote himself as a candidate which is banned under the Brazilian law. Former defence minister
Walter Braga Netto Walter Souza Braga Netto (born 11 March 1957) is a retired Brazilian army general and former Minister of Defence. Braga was Commander of the Eastern Military Command and, until 31 December 2018, Federal Interventor in the Public Security of the s ...
, who also attended the ceremony, and also ran for vice president on Bolsonaro's ticket, was convicted by the Court and ruled disqualified, like Bolsonaro, to run for any office for the next eight years. In February 2024, the Brazilian Federal Police raided former government officials and ordered Bolsonaro to hand in his passport over accusations that he and his allies tried to overturn the results of the 2022 election and planned a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
. In March 2024, witness documents released by the Superior Electoral Court were made public. According to two military officials, Bolsonaro had plotted to overturn the 2022 results and presented top military officials a plan to carry out a coup with the goal of keeping him in power. In his testimony, former
Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...
commander
Marco Antônio Freire Gomes Marco Antônio Freire Gomes (born 31 July 1957 in Pirassununga) is a retired army general of the Brazilian Army, which he commanded from 31 March to 30 December 2022. Military career Military official Gomes is son of Cavalry Colonel Francisco Va ...
said that he had warned Bolsonaro the army would not tolerate "any act of institutional rupture", and further added that Bolsonaro's actions could result in his arrest. Former
Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...
commander Carlos Baptista Júnior testified that he tried to dissuade Bolsonaro of "any extreme measure" and expressed his belief that Freire Gomes was instrumental in avoiding the use of a legal document that Bolsonaro presented in several meetings in December 2022 to overturn the results of the election. Baptista Júnior further said that the then
Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...
commander Almir Garnier told Bolsonaro he would put his troops at his disposal, and commented: "If the commander reire Gomeshad agreed, possibly, a coup d'etat attempt would have taken place." In late March 2024, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' released footage from internal security cameras in the Hungarian embassy in Brasília showing Bolsonaro and his aides and bodyguards entering the building on February 12 and leaving the place on February 14. This happened after his Brazilian and Italian passports were confiscated, and Bolsonaro was prohibited from leaving the country due to an investigation about an alleged plot to carry out a military coup in Brazil. Bolsonaro was welcomed by Hungarian ambassador to Brazil Miklós Halmai who reportedly sent the embassy's local employees a message to work from home during those dates. Following the report, the Brazilian Supreme Court gave Bolsonaro a 48-hours deadline to explain his stay in the embassy, and the Federal Police announced it was opening an investigation into the incident; which could have been viewed as an attempt to escape justice via
diplomatic asylum Diplomatic law is that area of international law that governs permanent and temporary diplomatic missions. A fundamental concept of diplomatic law is that of diplomatic immunity, which derives from state immunity. Key elements of diplomatic law ar ...
, since embassies are typically considered inviolable and host countries cannot enforce their law inside them without permission. Media commentators and people on social media speculated this hypothesis was likely to be true citing Bolsonaro and Hungarian prime-minister
Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...
are both far-right politicians who share a personal friendship, and Hungary's previous granting of asylum to sanctioned former Macedonian prime minister
Nikola Gruevski Nikola Gruevski (, pronounced ; born 31 August 1970) is a former Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Prime Minister of Macedonia from 2006 until his resignation, which was caused by the 2016 Macedonian protests, ...
. Additionally,
Itamaraty The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE; ; literally: ''Ministry of External Relations'') conducts Brazil's foreign relations with other countries. It is commonly referred to in Brazilian media and diplomatic jargon as Itamaraty, after the Itamarat ...
(Brazil's Foreign Ministry) summoned Halmai to give explanations about Bolsonaro's two-nights stay in the embassy. On 19 March 2024, federal police formally accused Bolsanaro of fraud on his COVID-19 vaccine records. In November 2024, Bolsonaro and 36 others were formally charged with plotting a coup d'état, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, and criminal organisation. In February 2025, Bolsonaro and 33 others were formally charged with plotting to assassinate Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice
Alexandre de Moraes Alexandre de Moraes (; born 13 December 1968) is a Brazilian jurist, former politician, former president of the Superior Electoral Court and currently justice of the Supreme Federal Court. Moraes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President M ...
. On 26 March, the Supreme Federal Court ordered Bolsonaro and seven of his associates to stand trial over the charges. The trial against Bolsonaro and 80 other officials began in Brasília on 19 May 2025.


Health

In April to May 2025, Bolsonaro underwent surgery and was hospitalized at the DF Star clinic in Brasilia for 17 days to fix an intestinal obstruction as a result of his assassination attempt in 2018.


Political positions

Bolsonaro's political views have been described as
Brazilian nationalist Brazilian nationalism is the nationalism of Brazilian people and Brazilian culture. It became strong during the declaration of Independence of Brazil, in the 19th century. History Brazil was initially a colony of Portugal, established during ...
and
right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishm ...
in nature, and he himself as an advocate of
far-right politics Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...
. His supporters say that his views are more aligned with traditional right-wing conservatism. His electorate is mainly formed by adults above the age of 34, the working middle to upper class (mainly in the southeast region of the country), conservatives in general, college graduates, some centrists and the
Christian right The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation ...
. According to some polls, Bolsonaro's main support comes from the
southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
, central-west, and
south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
regions of Brazil. His voters are usually male and white, with a noticeable gender gap, with Bolsonaro polling poorly among female voters (mustering only 18% support with this demographic). Just before the 2018 election, however, it was reported that female support for him had risen to 27%. Bolsonaro is viewed as an
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
,
anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958 by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...
, and pro-gun politician, voicing opposition to most forms of gun laws in Brazil, arguing that law-abiding citizens have the right to self-defence, especially those living in rural areas. According to ''The Washington Post'', "Homicides hit a record high of 63,880 last year ... Bolsonaro's solution is zero tolerance. He has called for police to use more lethal force and wants to relax gun laws so that average citizens can defend themselves." Bolsonaro often rejects accusations made against him of
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
and
homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
, and says he is not far-right but simply right-wing. Bolsonaro is known for his strong opposition to
left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
. Most notably, he has been a vocal opponent of
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, environmental regulations, abortion,
affirmative action Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...
(particularly racial quotas), as well as immigration, particularly from Haiti, Africa and the Middle East, which he once called "the scum of humanity". He has also opposed
drug liberalization Drug liberalization is a drug policy process of decriminalizing, legalizing, or repealing laws that prohibit the production, possession, sale, or use of prohibited drugs. Variations of drug liberalization include drug legalization, drug releg ...
, land reforms, and secularism at the federal level, among other things. Additionally, he made statements in defence of the
Brazilian military regime The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against presid ...
, (a dictatorship known for constant human rights violations). He argues that torture is a "legitimate practice" and says that he would try to pass new legislation regarding the introduction of life imprisonment to the Brazilian penal code. Bolsonaro supports the
privatization Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
of state-owned companies and advocates
free-market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...
policies, although critics have stated that his policy-making record does not in fact show him to be a supporter of
economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...
. In a 2017 interview with journalist Claudio Dantas Sequeira from ''
O Antagonista O Antagonista is a Brazilian independent investigative journalism website aligned with the political right. History O Antagonista was created by journalists Diogo Mainardi and Mário Sabino on January 1, 2015. In August 2015, journalist Claud ...
'', Bolsonaro said that his views are directly aligned with the centrist to right-wing United States citizens' views on gun ownership, abortion, gender politics, and trade, despite the "left-leaning media frenzy" against him. He reiterated that he intends to reverse some disarmament laws, improve public security, and also improve trade ties with the United States, which he said were broken during
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
's and
Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the only woman to have held the ...
's administrations. During his long political career, Bolsonaro expressed views regarded as being far-right. He has made statements that some people considered insulting, homophobic, violence-inciting, misogynistic, sexist, racist, or anti-refugee. Other controversial political stances expressed by Bolsonaro have been the defence of the death penalty, which is banned under the
Constitution of Brazil The Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil () is the Constitution, supreme law of Brazil. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Brazil and the federal government of Brazil. It replaced the ...
of 1988, and of radical interventionism in Brazil by the military, along with an imposition of a Brazilian military government. Journalist
Glenn Greenwald Glenn Edward Greenwald (born March 6, 1967) is an American journalist, author, and former lawyer. In 1996, Greenwald founded a law firm concentrating on First Amendment to the United States Constitution, First Amendment litigation. He began blo ...
called Bolsonaro "the most misogynistic, hateful elected official in the democratic world".
News.com.au News.com.au (stylised in all lowercase) is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance an ...
wondered whether Bolsonaro was "the world's most repulsive politician". British news magazine ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' referred to him as a "radical", "religious nationalist", a "right-wing demagogue", and "apologist of dictators".
Federico Finchelstein Federico Finchelstein is an Argentine historian and chair of the history department at the New School for Social Research and is director of the Janey Program in Latin American Studies. After receiving his undergraduate education at the Universit ...
, scholar on fascism and populism, has considered Bolsonaro, as he would link violence to
austerity In economic policy, austerity is a set of Political economy, political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through Government spending, spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three prim ...
and
neoliberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...
economic ideas, to be the most similar leader to
Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...
to come out from the young South American democracies. Leonardo Fontes, a postdoctoral researcher at the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning, characterized Bolsonaro's economic views as
authoritarian neoliberalism Authoritarian capitalism, or illiberal capitalism, is an economic system in which a capitalist market economy exists alongside an authoritarian government. Related to and overlapping with state capitalism, a system in which the state undertakes ...
. As President of Brazil, Bolsonaro professed to be an open admirer of then-President of the United States,
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, during his first term. During Bolsonaro's campaign, some observers saw similarities between the two's ideals, hardline attacks and a reputation for incendiary rhetoric, as well as social media presence. Because of this, Bolsonaro has been called the Brazilian equivalent of Trump or the "Trump of the Tropics".


Honorific order given to Olavo de Carvalho

On 1 May 2019, Bolsonaro awarded
Olavo de Carvalho Olavo Luiz Pimentel de Carvalho (; 29 April 1947 – 24 January 2022) was a Brazilian self-proclaimed philosopher, political pundit, former astrologer, journalist, and far-right conspiracy theorist. While publishing about politics, literatur ...
, a Brazilian conservative writer and far-right
conspiracy theorist A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
, the
Order of Rio Branco Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...
honorific order. Carvalho, who wrote books about
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
politics in Brazil and modern issues in general, was openly admired by Bolsonaro and sarcastically called by journalists his
guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
. Carvalho was sometimes harshly critical of Bolsonaro, even calling him "dumb".


Views on the Brazilian military dictatorship

Throughout his political career, Bolsonaro has made several admiring comments about the U.S.–supported
Brazilian military dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against presi ...
which ruled the country from 1964 to 1985. He said in 1993, eight years after the return of democracy, that the military regime had "led to a more sustainable and prosperous Brazil". Bolsonaro has publicly referred to the military dictatorship as a "glorious" period in Brazil's history, and that under the military dictatorship, Brazil enjoyed "20 years of
order and progress The national flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky (which includes the Southern Cross) spanned by a curved band inscribed with the national motto ('Order and Progress'), within a yellow rhombus, on a green field. It was official ...
". In December 2008, Bolsonaro said that "the error of the dictatorship was that it tortured, but did not kill". Bolsonaro has also repeatedly made admiring comments about a number of other Latin American dictatorships. He praised Peruvian president
Alberto Fujimori Alberto Kenji Fujimori Fujimori (26 July 1938 – 11 September 2024) was a Peruvian politician, professor, and engineer who served as the 54th president of Peru from 1990 to 2000.* * * * * * * Born in Lima, Fujimori was the country's fir ...
as a role model for his use of military intervention via
self-coup A self-coup, also called an autocoup () or coup from the top, is a form of coup d'état in which a political leader, having come to power through legal means, stays in power illegally through the actions of themselves or their supporters. The le ...
against the judiciary and legislature. In a 1998 interview with ''Veja'' magazine, Bolsonaro praised the
Chilean dictatorship An authoritarian military dictatorship ruled Chile for seventeen years, between 11 September 1973 and 11 March 1990. The dictatorship was established after the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende was overthrown in ...
of
Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...
, and said the Pinochet regime, which killed over 3,000 Chilean citizens, "should have killed more people". In 1999, Bolsonaro said that
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
represented "hope for Latin America", comments that became a matter of controversy during the 2018 campaign, when Bolsonaro presented himself as a harsh critic of ''
Chavismo ''Chavismo'' (from ), also known in English as Chavism or Chavezism, is a left-wing populist political ideology based on the ideas, programs and government style associated with the Venezuelan President between 1999 and 2013 Hugo Chávez that ...
''. In 2019, already in power, Bolsonaro commended Paraguayan dictator
Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general and Military dictatorship, military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 19 ...
as a "visionary" and "statesman", drawing immediate criticism, particularly due to multiple allegations of
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
against Stroessner. The comments were made in front of Paraguayan president
Mario Abdo Benítez Mario Abdo Benítez (; born 10 November 1971) is a Paraguayan politician who served as the 51st president of Paraguay from 2018 to 2023. He was previously a Senate of Paraguay, senator and served as List of presidents of the Senate of Paraguay, ...
, himself a child of Stroessner's personal secretary, Mario Abdo Benítez Sr. Speaking before his vote in favor of President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment amid the Operation Car Wash, massive corruption scandal, Bolsonaro paid homage to Colonel Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, Brilhante Ustra, an agent of Brazilian military government, Brazil's military dictatorship, and announced on the floor of the Chamber of Deputies that he was dedicating his pro-impeachment vote to Ustra's memory. Ustra had headed the DOI-CODI torture unit where Rousseff was allegedly tortured during the military dictatorship. Left-wing deputy Jean Wyllys spat at him after his statement during the same session. The congressman claimed to have suffered homophobic offenses from Jair Bolsonaro and his allies. In a TV interview with ''Câmera Aberta'' in the 1990s, Bolsonaro said that if he ever became president, he would use this as an opportunity to shut down the National Congress and instigate a military coup himself. , he appeared to have changed his mind, and said that if someone becomes the head of the country, it would be through voting. In March 2019, Bolsonaro stated that the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, 1964 coup d'état, which overthrew President João Goulart, was not a Coup d'état, coup, and that 31 March, the day the coup was installed, should be "properly commemorated".


Foreign policy

During the 2018 presidential campaign, Bolsonaro said he would make considerable changes to Brazil's foreign relations, saying that the "''
Itamaraty The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE; ; literally: ''Ministry of External Relations'') conducts Brazil's foreign relations with other countries. It is commonly referred to in Brazilian media and diplomatic jargon as Itamaraty, after the Itamarat ...
'' needs to be in service of the values that were always associated with the Brazilian people". He also said that the country should stop "praising dictators" and attacking democracies, such as the United States, Israel and Italy. In early 2018, he affirmed that his "trip to the five democratic countries the United States, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan showed who we will be and we would like to join good people". Bolsonaro showed distrust towards China throughout the presidential campaign claiming they "[want to] buy Brazil", although Brazil recorded a US$20 billion trade surplus with China in 2018, and China is only the 13th largest source of foreign direct investment into Brazil. Bolsonaro said he wished to continue to do business with the Chinese but he also said that Brazil should "make better [economic] deals" with other countries, with no "ideological agenda" behind it. His stance towards China has also been interpreted by some as an attempt to curry favor with the Donald Trump, Trump administration to garner concessions from the US. However, Bolsonaro mostly changed his position on China after he took office, saying that the two countries were "born to walk together" during his visit to Beijing in October 2019. He also said that Brazil would stay out of the ongoing China–United States trade war, China-U.S. trade war. According to Oliver Stuenkel, Bolsonaro's stance on global politics evolved from anti-China to anti-Western during his presidency. In 2022, he praised the role of BRICS during the 2008 financial crisis and described BRICS cooperation as a "factor of stability and prosperity in the international situation". Bolsonaro said that his first international trip as president would be to
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. Bolsonaro also said that the State of Palestine "is not a country, so there should be no embassy here", adding that "you don't negotiate with terrorists." The announcement was warmly received by the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who welcomed Bolsonaro to Israel in March 2019 during the final weeks of a re-election campaign, but was met with condemnation from the Arab League, which warned Bolsonaro it could damage diplomatic ties. "I love Israel", Bolsonaro said in Hebrew at a welcoming ceremony, with Netanyahu at his side, at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport. Bolsonaro also praised U.S. President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
and Foreign policy of the first Donald Trump administration, his foreign policy, and has been called "the tropical Trump". His son Eduardo Bolsonaro, Eduardo has indicated that Brazil should distance itself from Iran, sever ties with Nicolás Maduro's government in Venezuela and relocate List of diplomatic missions in Israel, Brazil's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, although he never committed to his plan to move the embassy and instead opened a trade office in the city. Bolsonaro is widely considered the most Foreign relations of the United States, pro-American candidate in Brazil since the 1980s. PSL members said that if elected, he would dramatically improve Brazil–United States relations, relations between the United States and Brazil. During an October 2017 campaign rally in Miami, he saluted the Flag of the United States, American flag and led chants of "USA! USA!" to a large crowd. U.S. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton, John Bolton praised Bolsonaro as a "like-minded" partner and said his victory was a "positive sign" for Latin America. Bolsonaro had a fractious relationship with U.S. President Joe Biden, and subsequently deepened ties with Russia, emphasising his neutrality over the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the regional level, Bolsonaro praised Argentine President
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...
for ending the 12-year rule of Néstor Kirchner, Néstor and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, which he saw as similar to Lula and Rousseff. Although he does not have plans to leave the Mercosur, he criticized it for prioritizing ideological issues over economic ones. A staunch anti-communist, Bolsonaro has condemned Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro and the current regime in that island. Bolsonaro praised British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, saying that he had learned from Churchill: "Patriotism, love for your fatherland, respect for your flag – something that has been lost over the last few years here in Brazil... and governing through example, especially at that difficult moment of the Second World War." Bolsonaro said he was open to the possibility of hosting a United States military deployments, U.S. military base in Brazil to counter Russian influence in the region. With the intention to persuade Trump to make Brazil a NATO member in March 2019, Bolsonaro said: "the discussions with the United States will begin in the coming months". With formal U.S. support for Brazil's entry to OECD in May 2019, Bolsonaro said, "currently, all 36 members of the organization support the entry of the country, fruit of confidence in the new Brazil being built, more free, open and fair". In October 2019, on a state visit to China, he announced the end of the need for visas for Chinese and Indian entry into Brazil. Brazil had already removed the need for visas for people from the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Australia.


Environment and climate change

Brazil has the world's Amazon rainforest, largest tropical rainforest in the Amazon basin. According to ''The Washington Post'', "Bolsonaro is a powerful supporter of Agriculture in Brazil, agribusiness ... and is likely to favor profits over preservation. ... Bolsonaro has chafed at foreign pressure to safeguard Amazon rainforest, the Amazon rainforest, and he served notice to international nonprofit groups such as the World Wide Fund for Nature that he will not tolerate their agendas in Brazil. He has also come out strongly against Indigenous territory (Brazil), lands reserved for Indigenous peoples in Brazil, indigenous tribes. Bolsonaro advisers additionally say that he plans to expand Nuclear activities in Brazil, nuclear and hydroelectric power into the Amazon." Bolsonaro rejects the scientific consensus on climate change. He repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the Paris Agreement during his campaign. Even before taking office, he backed out of Brazil's offer to host the United Nations Climate Change conference#2019: COP 25/CMP 15/CMA 2, Madrid, Spain, 2019 UN Climate Change Conference. Ernesto Araújo, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed by Bolsonaro, has called global warming Global warming conspiracy theory, a plot by "cultural Marxists", and eliminated the Climate Change Division of the ministry. Two departments of the Ministry of the Environment (Brazil), Ministry of the Environment dealing with climate change in Brazil and mitigation and one dealing with deforestation were also eliminated. In April 2019, the American Museum of Natural History canceled an event honouring Bolsonaro after facing heavy public criticism, including from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. The museum's directorate justified its decision in a statement, "With mutual respect for the work and goals of our organizations, we jointly agreed that the Museum is not the optimal location for the Brazilian-Am. Chamber of Commerce gala dinner. This traditional event will go forward at another location on the original date and time." Bolsonaro supported plans to open the Reserva Nacional do Cobre e Associados (Renca) Amazon rainforest, Amazonian reserve in Brazil's northern states of Pará and Amapá to commercial mining. Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, Destruction of the Amazon rainforest increased by 88% for the month of June 2019, during Bolsonaro's first year as president, as compared with the previous year, according to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Bolsonaro rejected the agency's data as false. The INPE director was fired after he rebutted Bolsonaro's criticism of the institute. The Bolsonaro administration decreased government efforts to combat illegal logging, ranching and mining in the Amazon. Government enforcement actions such as fines, warnings and the confiscation or destruction of illegal equipment in protected areas decreased by 20% in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2017. His damage to the Amazon has widely been described by indigenous groups, human rights groups, politicians, academics and journalists as an ecocide and a genocide. Indigenous chiefs and human rights organizations have submitted an Article 15 communication to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and genocide for harm to Indigenous people and destruction of the Amazon. Another has been submitted for ecocide by indigenous chiefs.


Christianity and secularism

Bolsonaro is a member of the Catholic Church in Brazil, Catholic Church (while his wife and one of his sons are Evangelical Christians) and is registered as one with the
Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...
. In 2016, he had himself baptised along with three of his sons Flávio Bolsonaro, Flávio, Carlos Bolsonaro, Carlos and Eduardo Bolsonaro, Eduardo in the Jordan River by a Pentecostal church. Sociologist Christina Vital of the Fluminense Federal University stated that this act was more than an expression of conversion to Evangelicalism and was meant to create an ambiguous religious identity, through which the Bolsonaro family could appeal to the various groups of voters. Bolsonaro reportedly attended a Baptist church for 10 years. In a 2017 speech, Bolsonaro stated, "God above everything. There is no such thing as a secular state. The state is Christian, and any minority that is against this has to change, if they can." He later evolved his position to keeping the country a secular state during the first round of the Brazilian presidential elections: "We are going to make a government for everyone, regardless of religion. Even for atheists. We have almost 5% of atheists in Brazil, and they have the same needs that others have."


Views on women

In an interview with ''Zero Hora'' in 2015, Bolsonaro argued that men and women should not receive the same salaries, because women get pregnant, adding that he believes federal law mandating paid maternity leave harms work productivity. Bolsonaro has denied saying that women should receive less than men; he claims it was statistical data by IBGE. In a public speech in April 2017, Bolsonaro said he had five children, that the first four were male and that for the fifth he produced a daughter out of "a moment of weakness". Bolsonaro provoked controversy for a series of remarks made to and about Federal Deputy and former Human Rights Minister Maria do Rosário. During a Congressional debate, Bolsonaro said that minors should be Trial as an adult, treated as adults if they commit heinous crimes such as murder or rape, to which Maria do Rosário responded by calling him a "rapist". Bolsonaro then stated that Congresswoman Rosário was "not worth raping; she is very ugly". The remarks drew considerable condemnation throughout Brazil. In the aftermath of these remarks, Bolsonaro was tried and convicted in a Federal court in September 2015 on counts of hedonic damages against Rosário. In June 2016, the Federal Supreme Court responded to a complaint filed by the Attorney General of Brazil, Attorney General and decided to open two criminal actions against Bolsonaro. The Supreme Court ruled that he had potentially Incitement, incited rape and defamation, defamed the honour of his fellow Deputy. He faced a penalty of up to six months of jail and a fine. Ultimately in August 2017, an appellate court upheld a lower court's verdict which found Bolsonaro guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine to Rosário of R$10,000 (roughly equivalent to US$2,500). This lawsuit was dismissed by the Supreme Federal Court as Bolsonaro was inaugurated as president in 2019 and acquired Legal immunity, immunity from prosecution.


Views on homosexuality

In May 2002, after then-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso attended a pro-gay-marriage gathering, Bolsonaro said, "If I see two men kissing in the street, I will beat them." He later publicly defended beating gay children, saying, "If your child starts to become like that, a little bit gay, you take a whip and you change their behaviour." He also said, "If a kid hangs out with someone who uses marijuana, he'll end up snorting, and if he hangs out with gay person, he definitely is going to turn into a faggot." In a June 2011 interview with ''Playboy'', Bolsonaro said, "I would be incapable of loving a gay son", and added that he would prefer any gay son of his "to die in an accident". In an interview that same month with ''Jornal de Notícias'', Bolsonaro LGBT grooming conspiracy theory, linked homosexuality to
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
, saying, "many of the children who are adopted by gay couples will be abused by these couples". He further argued that Brazil does not need legislation specifically targeting homophobia, because "most homosexuals are murdered by their respective pimps at hours when good citizens are already asleep". In British actor Stephen Fry's 2013 documentary ''Out There'', Bolsonaro said, "no father is ever proud of having a gay son" and "we Brazilians do not like homosexuals". In a March 2016 video interview for ''Vice Media, Vice'' with Elliot Page, an openly lesbian actress at the time, Page asked Bolsonaro whether he should have been beaten as a child (alluding to Bolsonaro's public statements that gay children should be beaten). Bolsonaro replied, "You are very nice. If I were a cadet in the military academy and saw you on the street, I would whistle at you. All right? You are very pretty." Bolsonaro added, "Over time, due to liberal habits, drugs, with women also working, the number of homosexuals has really increased." On 9 November 2017, the Court of Justice for the State of Rio de Janeiro sentenced Bolsonaro to pay a fine of R$150,000 for hate speech because of televised comments he made in 2011 to the ''Custe o Que Custar'' television programme, when Bolsonaro stated that "there is no risk" of his family producing a homosexual child because his children had a "good education". Judge Luciana Teixeira said that the deputy had abused his right of free expression to commit a wrongful act. "You cannot deliberately attack and humiliate, ignoring the principles of equality, just because you invoke freedom of expression", said the judge. However, on 11 January 2016, when he began to present himself as a pre-candidate to the Presidency of Brazil, Bolsonaro began to moderate his discourse on gay people by publishing a video on his official YouTube channel:
I have nothing to do with anyone's behaviour. If the husband and wife later decide to live with their partner, to form a couple, to live with a person of the same sex, they should and be happy. But we cannot state that, because of our omission in the Parliament, children become homosexuals in the future, or have such homosexual behaviour in the future, because the influence of school. That is unacceptable.
Since then, Bolsonaro states he has nothing against gays and that he only fights against the "gay kit" in schools. On 4October 2018, for example, Bolsonaro said:
Each person, after a certain age, is responsible for their acts, and will take care of their life. For six-year-old children, this does not hold true. A father does not want to come home and see his son playing with a doll because of the influence of school. Homosexuals will be happy if I become president.
That same month, shortly before the first round of the Brazilian presidential elections, he said: "We are going to make a government for everybody. For gays, and some gays are fathers, who are mothers. It is a work for everyone". After being elected president, when asked by William Bonner (newscaster), William Bonner in the ''
Jornal Nacional ; ) is the flagship television newscast of TV Globo. First airing on September 1, 1969, according to IBOPE ( Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics), in the week of September 28October 4, 2015, it was the second most watched progra ...
'' about what he would say to those who are more prejudiced and aggressive against gays, Bolsonaro replied: "The aggression against a fellow man has to be punished in the way of law. And if [such aggression is committed] for a reason like this, you have to have your sentence increased."


Views on political violence

On multiple occasions, Bolsonaro has publicly endorsed physical violence as a legitimate and necessary form of political action. In 1999, when he was 44 years old and a representative in the Brazilian Congress, Bolsonaro said during a TV interview that the only way of "changing" Brazil was by "Dirty War, killing thirty thousand people, beginning with Fernando Henrique Cardoso" (then President of Brazil). During the 2018 campaign, he stated during a rally in Acre (state), Acre that the local "petralhas" (a derogatory term for members of the Workers' Party) would be "shot"; according to his aides, the statement was a "joke". One week before the second round, Bolsonaro said during a speech that in his administration "petralhas" and "reds" (i.e. leftists) would be arrested, purged or taken to the "corner of the beach", a term that was later revealed to mean a Navy base where dissidents of the
Brazilian military dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against presi ...
were murdered. In 1999, talking about Chico Lopes, a former president of the Brazilian Central Bank who invoked his right to remain silent during a Congress hearing, Bolsonaro declared himself in favor of torture in this sort of situation. Asked about this phrase years later, Bolsonaro said: "Ask the father of a kidnapped child what he would like him to do to discover [where the kid is]. You have to take brutal measures, which some consider torture".


Views on race

Throughout his political career, Bolsonaro has made numerous statements that have been described as racist. In 2011, when asked by Afro-Brazilian singer Preta Gil on TV show ''Custe o Que Custar'' (CQC) what he would do if one of his sons had a Black girlfriend, he answered that he "would not discuss promiscuity" and that there was "no such risk", because his children were "very well educated". Bolsonaro later claimed that he was misunderstood and denied promoting racism, although he stood by his attacks on gay people. In 2017, in an event at the Hebraica club in Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro promised to abolish all Indigenous peoples in Brazil, indigenous and Quilombola territories in Brazil, saying that he would not cede "a centimiter" of land to these groups. He also claimed to have visited a quilombo, a settlement formed by descendants of enslaved people, accusing Afro-Brazilians who lived there of being lazy and unproductive. The politician also claimed that the "least heavy" of the quilombolas weighed seven arrobas, a unit of measure that is used in Brazil to weigh cattle. These comments have been criticized as an attempt to Dehumanization, dehumanize Black Brazilians. Bolsonaro is a strong opponent of
affirmative action Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...
, and has criticized the Brazilian racial quotas system in universities as a way of dividing society that is at odds with equality between citizens. In 2011, he was accused of racism after questioning the capabilities of Black and indigenous graduates who benefitted from affirmative action, claiming that he would not fly on an airplane piloted by one of them, nor accept a doctor who was admitted to a university through racial quotas to perform surgery on him.


Birth control for the poor

Bolsonaro provoked considerable controversy for public remarks made in July 2008, where he proposed to provide poor people with birth control methods, who he suggested might be too uneducated to understand family planning education. Bolsonaro said:
I wish Brazil had a family planning programme. It's not even worthy to talk about education when most of these [poor] people are not prepared to receive education, therefore they won't educate themselves. Only rigid birth control can save us from chaos. An educated man and woman will hardly desire an extra child with the sole purpose of engaging in a social welfare assistance programme [as it is nowadays]. We need to adopt a rigid birth control policy. We can't make demagogic speeches any longer, proposing bills and means of government to support these poor people [who] are increasingly proliferating throughout the country. ... People who aren't prepared to have children, shouldn't have them. This is what I stand for and I'm not worried about getting votes in the future. It's past time to discuss a policy to contain this demographic explosion, otherwise, we'll keep voting in this Chamber of Deputies, Chamber only matters such as Bolsa Família, loans for the poor, gas vouchers, etc. Methods [of birth control] have to be provided for those who, unfortunately, are ignorant and have no means to control their offspring. Because we [as upper-middle class] can control ours. Poor people don't control [theirs].
As a Congressman, Bolsonaro put forward three bills trying to remove "virtually all" legal restrictions to surgical sterilization via the public health system, including the reduction of "the minimum age of sterilization to 21 years". None of the bills were voted through.


Elections

Bolsonaro has endorsed conspiracy theories of voter fraud in past elections, including claims that attempts were made to rig the 2018 presidential election against him; he has also questioned the outcome of the 2020 United States presidential election. During his presidency, he has repeatedly challenged the legitimacy of electronic voting and advocated the use of paper ballots in the 2022 election. Bolsonaro said that he would not accept the results of the 2022 election if electoral reforms were not implemented. Most experts on Brazilian politics, including defence minister Celso Amorim, questioned the likelihood of a coup attempt, and polls found that few Bolsonaro supporters would likely endorse a coup. In May 2022, Central Intelligence Agency director William J. Burns (diplomat), William Burns warned Bolsonaro against any further attacks on Brazil's electoral system. The 2022 election occurred days after the success of far-right politician Giorgia Meloni in the 2022 Italian general election, with analysts noting that Bolsonaro performed better than expected during the first round of elections and that his party's success had the potential to moderate Lula's government if Lula won the election.


Personal life

Bolsonaro has been married three times and has five children. His first wife was Rogéria Nantes Braga (with whom he has three sons: Flávio Bolsonaro, Flávio, Carlos Bolsonaro, Carlos and Eduardo Bolsonaro, Eduardo). His second marriage was with Ana Cristina Valle (with whom he has a son, Renan). In 2007, he married his third and current wife Michelle Bolsonaro, Michelle de Paula Firmo Reinaldo (with whom he has a daughter, Laura). While working in Congress, Bolsonaro hired Michelle as a secretary and over the next two years she received unusual promotions and her salary more than tripled. He was forced to fire her after the Supreme Federal Court ruled that nepotism is illegal in the public administration. , Bolsonaro and his wife lived in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro has three granddaughters, two by his son Flávio and one by his son Eduardo. Bolsonaro is Catholic Church, Catholic. On October 25, 2018, Bolsonaro was presented with an honorary black belt by Robson Gracie despite never having trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu.


Honours and awards


National honours

* Grand Master and Grand Cross of the
Order of Rio Branco Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...
(1 January 2019) * Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Order of Defence Merit (Brazil), Order of Defence Merit (8 January 2019) * Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil), Order of Military Merit (16 June 2019) * Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit (Brazil), Order of Naval Merit (8 January 2019) * Grand Master and Grand Cross of the Order of Aeronautical Merit (Brazil), Order of Aeronautical Merit (3 January 2019) * Grand Collar of the Order of Labor Judicial Merit, Order of Labour Judicial Merit (13 August 2019) * Grand Cross of the Order of Military Judicial Merit (28 March 2019) * The Mauá Medal of Merit (15 August 2019) * The Peacemaker Medal (5 December 2018)


Awards

* One of ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's 100 most influential people in 2019 and 2020 * Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce's 2019 Person of the Year * OCCRP's 2020 Person of the Year "for his role in promoting organized crime and corruption" * On 25 October 2021, Bolsonaro was recognized as an honorary citizen by the city council of
Anguillara Veneta Anguillara Veneta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about south of Padua. The city is known for being the town of origin of the Bolsonaro family, a promine ...
, Italy, his paternal grandfather's hometown. This aroused reactions in Italy.


Electoral history


Presidential


Chamber of Deputies


Indictment

In July 2024, Brazil's Federal Police charged Jair Bolsonaro with money laundering and criminal conspiracy related to undeclared diamonds that he allegedly received from Saudi Arabia while he was in office. On November 21, 2024, Brazil's federal police indicted Bolsonaro and 36 other people related to Bolsonaro's defeat in the 2022 presidential elections. He is alleged to have known of a plot to assassinate his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and to overturn the election result.


References


Further reading

* Amaral, Oswald E. "The Victory of Jair Bolsonaro According to the Brazilian Electoral Study of 2018." ''Brazilian Political Science Review'' (2020). 14 (1): e0004 -1/1
online
* Bloch, Agata, and Marco Vallada Lemonte. "Introduction to the Meteoric Political Rise of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Under a Crisis of the 'Brazilianness'." ''Ameryka Łacińska. Kwartalnik Analityczno-Informacyjny'' 4.106 (2020): 1–22
online
* Boito, Armando. "Reform and Political Crisis in Brazil: Class Conflicts in Workers' Party Governments and the Rise of Bolsonaro Neo-fascism." in ''Reform and Political Crisis in Brazil'' (Brill, 2021). * Burity, Joanildo. "The Brazilian Conservative Wave, the Bolsonaro Administration, and Religious Actors." ''Brazilian Political Science Review'' 15 (2021)
online
* Casarões, Guilherme et al. "Brazilian foreign policy under Jair Bolsonaro: far-right populism and the rejection of the liberal international order." ''Cambridge Review of International Affairs'' (September 2021), pp. 1–21. * De Sá Guimarães, Feliciano, and Irma Dutra De Oliveira E Silva. "Far-right populism and foreign policy identity: Jair Bolsonaro's ultra-conservatism and the new politics of alignment." ''International Affairs'' 97.2 (2021): 345–363
online
* Da Silva, Antonio José Bacelar, and Erika Robb Larkins. "The Bolsonaro election, antiblackness, and changing race relations in Brazil." ''Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology'' 24.4 (2019): 893–913
online
* Layton, Matthew L., et al. "Demographic polarization and the rise of the far right: Brazil's 2018 presidential election." ''Research & Politics'' 8.1 (2021): 2053168021990204
online
* Neto, Octavio Amorim, and Gabriel Alves Pimenta. "The First Year of Bolsonaro in Office: Same Old Story, Same Old Song?." ''Revista de Ciencia Politica'' 40.2 (2020): 187–213
online
* Pagliarini, Andre. "Facing Bolsonaro's Brazil: A progressive US foreign policy toward Brazil must neither defer to nor confront far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. instead, it should illuminate his antidemocratic tendencies while centering key global fights against inequality and climate change." ''NACLA Report on the Americas'' 52.1 (2020): 47–52. * Pereira, Frederico Batista, and Felipe Nunes. "Media Choice and the Polarization of Public Opinion About Covid-19 in Brazil." ''Revista Latinoamericana de Opinión Pública'' (2021) 1–19
online


External links


President of Brazil

Profile in the Chamber of Deputies
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolsonaro, Jair Jair Bolsonaro, 1955 births Living people Bolsonaro family, Jair People from São Paulo (state) Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) from Rio de Janeiro (state) Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro councillors Brazilian anti-same-sex-marriage activists Brazilian anti-communists Brazilian nationalists Brazilian people of Calabrian descent Brazilian people of German descent Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian people of Venetian descent Brazilian Roman Catholics Conservatism in Brazil Critics of multiculturalism Far-right politics in Brazil Gun rights advocates Ig Nobel laureates Male critics of feminism Opposition to Fidel Castro Progressistas politicians Right-wing populism in South America Right-wing populists Stabbing survivors Democrats (Brazil) politicians Democratic Social Party politicians Liberal Party (Brazil, 2006) politicians Reform Progressive Party politicians Social Christian Party (Brazil) politicians Social Liberal Party (Brazil) politicians 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics People barred from public office People convicted of speech crimes Military personnel who were court-martialed Brazilian Labour Party (1981) politicians Environmental racism Christian Zionists Brazilian anti-abortion activists Anti-LGBTQ Christian activists 21st-century Brazilian politicians 20th-century Brazilian politicians COVID-19 conspiracy theorists