Opinion: What Bolsonaro means for human rights in Brazil
Students of the UN International School (UNIS) raise flags of different nations at the 30th Anniversary celebration of the International Day of Peace at UN Headquarters.
The Tropical Trump? Duterte’s Double? Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Brazilian’s president elect, will enter the ever-expanding club of right wing, populist leaders when he assumes power on 1 January 2019. But where he falls within that spectrum of leaders—and what ultimately his presidency will signal for human rights in Brazil—is less clear, though worrying.
A recent Brazilian poll indicated that support for democracy in the country has never been higher. This seems to contradict Bolsonaro’s election given his defence of the Brazilian dictatorship, and his limited appreciation for the Constitution. In this context, the main question we need to ask is: will he be a democratic president?
Much of Bolsonaro’s manifesto is limited in detail, leaving us to base much of our analysis about how he intends to govern on his campaign speeches. Yet his rhetoric is often incoherent. To further complicate the scenario, his recent appointment of certain key ministers suggests there will be competing interests within the administration—from a liberal minister of finance, to a nationalist head of the military,a punitive minister of justice, an environment minister who does not believe in climate change and a conservative religious minister for human rights. We are yet to see which interest will be strongest.
