Jair Bolsonaro

"Bolsonaro" redirects here. For the surname, seeBolsonaro (surname).

Jair Messias Bolsonaro(Brazilian Portuguese:[ʒaˈiʁmeˈsi.ɐsbowsoˈnaɾu];born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who served as the 38thpresident of Brazilfrom 2019 to 2023. He previously served as member of Brazil'sChamber of Deputiesfrom 1991 to 2019.

His Excellency Jair Bolsonaro
Bolsonaro in 2019
38thPresident of Brazil
In office 1 January 2019 – 1 January 2023
Vice President	Hamilton Mourão
Preceded by	Michel Temer
Succeeded by	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 1 February 1991 – 1 January 2019
Constituency	Rio de Janeiro
Councillor of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 January 1989 – 31 January 1991
Constituency	At-large
Personal details
Born	(1955-03-21)21 March 1955 Glicério,São Paulo, Brazil
Political party	PL(since 2021)
Other political affiliations	See list Independent(2019–2021) PSL(2018–2019) PSC(2016–2018) PP(2005–2016) DEM(2005) PTB(2003–2005) PP (1995–2003) PPR(1993–1995) PP(1993) PDC(1988–1993)
Spouses	Rogéria Nantes Braga ​ ​ (m.1978;div.1997)​ Ana Cristina Valle ​ ​ (m.1997;div.2007)​ Michelle de Paula ​ (m.2007)​
Children	5, includingFlávio,Carlos,andEduardo
Alma mater	Military Academy of Agulhas Negras
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Brazil
Branch/service	Brazilian Army
Years of service	1973–1988
Rank	Captain
Commands	21st Field Artillery Group 9th Field Artillery Group 8th Parachutist Field Artillery Group

Bolsonaro began serving in theBrazilian Armyin 1973 and graduated from theMilitary Academy of Agulhas Negrasin 1977. He rose to publicity in 1986 after he wrote an article forVejamagazine criticizing low wages for military officers, after which he was arrested and detained for fifteen days. He left the army and was elected to theMunicipal Chamber of Rio de Janeirotwo years later. In 1990, Bolsonaro was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a representative for thestate of Rio de Janeiro.During his 27-year tenure as a congressman, he became known for hisnational conservatism.Bolsonaro entered the2018 Brazilian presidential election,during which he started to advocate economically liberal and pro-market policies.He led in the 7 October first round results and defeatedFernando Haddadin the 28 October runoff.

A polarizing and controversial politician, Bolsonaro's views and comments, which have been described as far-right and populist, have drawn both praise and criticism in Brazil.He is a vocal opponent ofsame-sex marriage,abortion,affirmative action,drug liberalization,andsecularism.In foreign policy, he has advocated closer relations withIsraeland with theUnited States;later in his presidency, he also made efforts to improve relations with theBRICScountries.

Bolsonaro focused on domestic affairs in his first months as president, dealing primarily with the fallout of the2014 Brazilian economic crisis.The economy recovered slowly, while crime rates fell sharply during the first year.He rolled back protections forIndigenous groupsin theAmazon rainforestand facilitated itsdeforestation.Bolsonaro's response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Brazilwas 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 ofthe 2022 general election,Bolsonaro lost toLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva.On 8 January 2023, his supportersstormed federal government buildings,calling for a coup d'état. On 30 June, theSuperior Electoral Courtblocked 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 aself-coupwith the military to keep himself in power.

As of November 2024,Bolsonaro has been formally accused by the Federal Police of multiple crimes related to the alleged coup.He was charged in February 2025.

Early life

Bolsonaro was born on 21 March 1955 inGlicério,São Paulo,insoutheastBrazil, to Percy Geraldo Bolsonaro and Olinda Bonturi.His family is mostly ofItaliandescent, withGermanancestry as well. On his father's side, he is the great-grandson of Italians fromVenetoandCalabria.Bolsonaro's paternal grandfather's family comes from Veneto, more preciselyAnguillara Veneta,in theprovince of Padua.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 inHamburgaround 1876, who immigrated to Brazil in 1883.His maternal grandparents were born inLucca,inTuscany,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 inRibeira,Jundiaí,andSete Barras,before settling inEldorado,in the state's southern region, in 1966, where he grew up with his five brothers.His first name is a tribute toJair da Rosa Pinto,a football player forPalmeiras,with whom he shares a birthday.

Military career

Jair (left) with his parents at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras in 1979

Bolsonaro in 1986

In his final years in high school, Bolsonaro was admitted to theEscola Preparatória de Cadetes do Exército(the prep school of theBrazilian Army), which he entered in 1973. In 1974, he went to theMilitary Academy of Agulhas Negras(Brazil's main military academy), graduating in 1977 as anartilleryofficer. He served in the 9th Field Artillery Group, inNioaque,Mato Grosso do Sul. Later he studied at the Army Physical Training School inRio de Janeiroand served in the 21st Field Artillery Group and the 8th Paratrooper Field Artillery Group, from theParatrooper 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 inBahiastate; according to him, the activity was only a "hobby and mental hygiene".

In 1987, he studied in theOfficers 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 magazineVeja.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.Vejareported that, with an Army colleague, he had plans to plant bombs in military units inRio de Janeiro.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 newspaperO Estado de S. Pauloin 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 withVeja.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 initialVejaarticle, 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 asRio de Janeirocity councilor in March 1990. In October of the same year, he was elected Federal Deputy for the city

Bolsonaro entered politics in 1988, electedcity councilorin Rio de Janeiro, representing theChristian Democratic Party(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 theMunicipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro.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 afederal deputyfor 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 "Lista de Furnas",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 capitalBrasíliadespite 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 theBrazilian National Congress,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 theSocial Christian Partyand switched to theSocial Liberal Party(PSL).After his arrival, the PSL adopted conservative and right-wing positions, and its social liberal groupLivresannounced its departure from the PSL.

Presidential campaign (2018)

Main article:Jair Bolsonaro 2018 presidential campaign

On 22 July 2018, the PSL nominated Bolsonaro for president in the2018 election.TheBrazilian Labour Renewal Partyalso endorsed him. His coalition name was "Brazil above everything, God above everyone" (Brasil acima de tudo, Deus acima de todos).Though contested by two lawsuits, theSuperior Electoral Courtof Brazil deferred them and his candidacy was made official on 6 August.In August, Bolsonaro announced thatAntônio Hamilton Mourão,a retired army general, would be his running mate.

Bolsonaro supporters in London, October 2018

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 defendeddevelopmentalistpolicies). On the other hand, he maintained his tough stance on crime and his defence of "traditional family values".Bolsonaro also said he planned to cuttaxesacross the board, particularly on inheritances and businesses, to generate growth and tackle unemployment.He also promised moreausteritymeasures 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 ofderegulationmeasures.Bolsonaro's promises torestore securityamidrecord high crimeand to stamp out Brazil's rampantpolitical corruptionwon him huge popular support.In October, he announced he would namePaulo Guedes,aliberal economist,as his finance minister.

On 9 August 2018, Bolsonaro attended the first presidential debate of the year, organized by the TV networkRede Bandeirantes.A week later, there was another debate atRedeTV!On 28 August, he gave an interview toJornal Nacional,Brazil's highest-rated primetime news programme, atRede Globo.Bolsonaro was the first presidential candidate to raise overR$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 theWorkers' PartycandidateLuiz Inácio Lula da Silvawas arrested in April 2018, Bolsonaro became the frontrunner according to all major opinion polls.ADatafolhapoll from September showed Bolsonaro as the leading candidate in the first round with 28% of vote intentions, though runoff scenarios showed him losing toGeraldo Alckmin,Fernando Haddad,andCiro Gomesand tying withMarina Silva.AnotherDatafolhapoll, 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%.

Bolsonaro is known for hisfinger-gungesture, which he used during the presidential campaign

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 movementsMSTandMTSTwould 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 aNavybase atRestinga da Marambaia,in Rio de Janeiro State, where theBrazilian military dictatorshiptortured 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 magazineForeign Policy,Federico Finchelstein,a historian at theNew School for Social Researchwho 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,aYalephilosopher who has published widely on Nazism, said that Bolsonaro "uses more tactics associated to fascism than [the] American president Donald Trump".Harvard'sSteven Levitskysaid that Bolsonaro "is clearly authoritarian", but not a fascist.Similar concerns were raised by analysts in Portugaland Brazil.Others, such as Marxist historianPerry Anderson,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 byFolha,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 bombardWhatsAppusers withfake newsabout 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

Main article:Attempted assassination of Jair Bolsonaro

The moment Bolsonaro was attacked at theJuiz de Forarally

Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen on 6September 2018 while campaigning and interacting with supporters inJuiz de Fora,Minas Gerais.At first, his sonFlávio Bolsonarostated 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 thoughtand 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 severehypotension(hisblood pressurewas 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 presidentMichel Temer.The day after the attack, Bolsonaro was transferred to theAlbert Einstein Israelite Hospitalin 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 theSocialism and Liberty Partyfrom 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 ministerSergio Moroto 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 personalmotto,which he established in 2016, isJohn8:32: "The truth will set you free".

Protests

Main article:Ele Não movement

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 "Ele não"(" Not him ").There were also rallies in support of the candidate in sixteen states.

Presidency (2019–2023)

Main article:Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro

Michel Temerwith Bolsonaro and his wifeMichelleduring theinaugurationon 1 January 2019

Bolsonaro was sworn in as President of the Republic on 1January 2019, succeedingMichel Temer.Bolsonaro began toget his cabinet togetherbefore his inauguration, choosing economistPaulo Guedesas his Economy minister and astronautMarcos Pontesas 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,had a cabinet of 29 members.

Bolsonaro's initialcabinetwas composed of 16 ministers, two cabinet-level positions, and four presidential secretaries, including Chief of StaffOnyx Lorenzoni.Bolsonaro's ministers includedOperation Car WashjudgeSergio Moroas Justice minister and congresswomanTereza Cristinaas 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 ofJusticeandEducation,theSecretary of Government,the head of thepostal serviceand 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 agencyFUNAIof the responsibility to identify and demarcateindigenous 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 forceBrazilian Amerindiansto suffercultural assimilation.Argentine PresidentMauricio Macriwas the first foreign leader Bolsonaro received on a state visit toBrasíliaafter he became president.

Bolsonaro in 2020

Thesecond inauguration of Nicolás Maduroin Venezuela took place nine days afterBolsonaro's inauguration.The disputed results of the2018 Venezuelan presidential electionled to theVenezuelan presidential crisis,as theNational Assemblyrejected the results, considered Maduro an illegitimate ruler since his first term of office ended, and appointedJuan Guaidóas acting president. Bolsonaro did not attend Maduro's inauguration and recognized Guaidó as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela, alongsideMauricio Macrifrom Argentina andDonald Trumpfrom 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'spopularitysteadily declined. ADatafolhasurvey, 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 firedGustavo 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(Portuguese:Aliança pelo Brasil),but it failed to gather enough signatures to register at theSuperior Electoral Courtfor the2020 Brazilian municipal electionsor the2022 Brazilian general election,leaving Bolsonaro without a party until 2021.

Throughout theCOVID-19 pandemic in Brazil,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 theBrazilian Health Agencydeemed it safe.In the same broadcast, he called face masks "the last taboo to fall".In 2020, theOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project(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".

Bolsonaro and Trump at the G20 meeting in 2019

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,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 spreadingmisinformation.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 unapprovedCovaxinvaccine 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 vaccineand 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.

Jair Bolsonaro andPaulo Guedesin Brasilia, 2020.

In March 2021, Bolsonaro replaced defence ministerFernando Azevedo e SilvawithWalter Souza Braga Netto;like Bolsonaro, Netto lionized the 1964–1985military dictatorship in Brazil.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 appointedCiro Noguiera,a senator who was implicated in theOdebrecht corruption case,as hischief of staff.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 JusticeAlexandre de Moraeshad 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.

Bolsonaro and Orbán in Budapest, Hungary, in 2022

Without a political party, Bolsonaro began to negotiate his entrance in one in preparation for the2022 Brazilian general election(as the1988 Brazilian Constitutiondoes not allowindependent politicians).He negotiated with theProgressistas(PP), of which he was a member from 1995 to 2003 and from 2005 to 2016,and theSocial Christian Party(PSC), of which he was a member from 2016 to 2018,theBrazilian Labour Party(PTB),Brazilian Woman's Party(PMB),Christian Democracy(DC),Party of National Mobilization(PMN),theRepublicansandPatriot(PATRI).On 30 November 2021, Bolsonaro and his son SenatorFlávio Bolsonarojoined theLiberal Party(PL).According to political analysts, the choice represents the consolidation of the alliance of Bolsonaro with theCentrão,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 theCentrãofor 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

Main article:2022 Brazilian general election

In a runoff presidential election on 30 October, Bolsonaro was defeated by former presidentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva,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 thePalácio da Alvoradaon 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 documentaryApocalypse in the Tropics(2024) shows how evangelical pastorSilas Malafaiahad a defining influence on Bolsanaro, while mustering support from Brasil's evangelical movement, in the path to Bolsanaro losing the election and in the protests and attempted insurrection that followed.

Post-presidency (2023–present)

Bolsonaro in 2023 visiting the state ofParaná.

On December 30, 2022, one day before Bolsonaro's term ended, he arrived inFloridaand resided inKissimmeefor a couple of months.On 8 January 2023, his supportersattackedthe buildings of theSupreme Court of Brazil,theNational Congress of Braziland thePlanalto Presidential Palacein 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 the2024 elections.On 14 April 2023, Supreme Court judgeAlexandre de Moraesordered Bolsonaro to submit himself for questioning with theBrazilian Federal Policeover the storming of the Congress.

Charges of coup planning and fraud

Main article:Operation Counter-coup

On 30 June 2023, the BrazilianSuperior Electoral Courtbarred 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 overabuse of powerfor using officialBrazil's Independence Dayceremony to promote himself as a candidate which is banned under the Brazilian law. Former defence ministerWalter Braga Netto,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 acoup d'état.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, formerBrazilian ArmycommanderMarco Antônio Freire Gomessaid 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. FormerBrazilian Air ForcecommanderCarlos Baptista Júniortestified 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 thenBrazilian NavycommanderAlmir Garniertold Bolsonaro he would put his troops at his disposal, and commented: "If the commander [Freire Gomes] had agreed, possibly, a coup d'etat attempt would have taken place."

In late March 2024,The New York Timesreleased 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 viadiplomatic asylum,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-ministerViktor Orbánare both far-right politicians who share a personal friendship, and Hungary's previous granting of asylum to sanctioned former Macedonian prime ministerNikola Gruevski.Additionally,Itamaraty(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 JusticeAlexandre de Moraes.

Political positions

Bolsonaro supported theEuropean Union–Mercosur Free Trade Agreement,which would form one of the world's largest free trade areas.

Bolsonaro's political views have been described asBrazilian nationalistandright-wing populistin nature, and he himself as an advocate offar-right politics.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 theChristian right.According to some polls, Bolsonaro's main support comes from thesoutheast,central-west,andsouthregions 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 ananti-abortion,anti-establishment,and pro-gun politician, voicing opposition to most forms ofgun laws in Brazil,arguing that law-abiding citizens have the right to self-defence, especially those living in rural areas.According toThe Washington Post,"Homicides hit arecord highof 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 ofmisogynyandhomophobia,and says he is not far-right but simply right-wing.

Bolsonaro is known for his strong opposition toleft-wing politics.Most notably, he has been a vocal opponent ofsame-sex marriage,environmental regulations,abortion,affirmative action(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 opposeddrug liberalization,land reforms,and secularism at the federal level,among other things.Additionally, he made statements in defence of theBrazilian military regime,(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 theprivatizationof state-owned companies and advocatesfree-marketpolicies,although critics have stated that his policy-making record does not in fact show him to be a supporter ofeconomic liberalism.

Bolsonaro andCharles,then Prince of Wales, in October 2019

In a 2017 interview with journalist Claudio Dantas Sequeira fromO Antagonista,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 duringLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva's andDilma Rousseff'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 theConstitution of Brazilof 1988, and of radical interventionism in Brazil by the military, along with an imposition of a Brazilian military government.

JournalistGlenn Greenwaldcalled Bolsonaro "the most misogynistic, hateful elected official in the democratic world".News.auwondered whether Bolsonaro was "the world's most repulsive politician".British news magazineThe Economistreferred to him as a "radical", "religious nationalist", a "right-wing demagogue", and "apologist of dictators".Federico Finchelstein,scholar on fascism and populism, has considered Bolsonaro, as he would link violence toausterityandneoliberaleconomic ideas, to be the most similar leader toAugusto Pinochetto 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 asauthoritarian neoliberalism.

As President of Brazil, Bolsonaro professed to be an open admirer of then-President of the United States,Donald Trump,during hisfirst 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 awardedOlavo de Carvalho,a Brazilian conservative writer and far-rightconspiracy theorist,theOrder of Rio Brancohonorific order. Carvalho, who wrote books aboutleftistpolitics in Brazil and modern issues in general, was openly admired by Bolsonaro and sarcastically called by journalists hisguru.Carvalho was sometimes harshly critical of Bolsonaro, even calling him "dumb".

Views on the Brazilian military dictatorship

Bolsonaro and his sonEduardohold up a Brazilian flag during a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the1964 military coup d'état,1 April 2014

Throughout his political career, Bolsonaro has made several admiring comments about the U.S.–supportedBrazilian military dictatorshipwhich 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 oforder and progress".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 presidentAlberto Fujimorias a role model for his use of military intervention viaself-coupagainst the judiciary and legislature.In a 1998 interview withVejamagazine, Bolsonaro praised theChilean dictatorshipofAugusto Pinochet,and said the Pinochet regime, which killed over 3,000 Chilean citizens, "should have killed more people".In 1999, Bolsonaro said thatHugo Chávezrepresented "hope for Latin America", comments that became a matter of controversy during the 2018 campaign, when Bolsonaro presented himself as a harsh critic ofChavismo.In 2019, already in power, Bolsonaro commended Paraguayan dictatorAlfredo Stroessneras a "visionary" and "statesman", drawing immediate criticism, particularly due to multiple allegations ofpedophiliaagainst Stroessner.The comments were made in front of Paraguayan presidentMario Abdo Benítez,himself a child of Stroessner's personal secretary, Mario Abdo Benítez Sr.

Speaking before his vote in favor ofPresident Dilma Rousseff's impeachmentamid themassive corruption scandal,Bolsonaro paid homage to ColonelBrilhante Ustra,an agent ofBrazil'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 theDOI-CODItorture unit where Rousseff was allegedly tortured during the military dictatorship. Left-wing deputyJean Wyllysspat 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 withCâmera Abertain 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. As of 2018,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 the1964 coup d'état,which overthrew PresidentJoão Goulart,was not acoup,and that 31 March, the day the coup was installed, should be "properly commemorated".

Foreign policy

See also:List of international presidential trips made by Jair Bolsonaro

Bolsonaro with former United Kingdom Prime MinisterBoris Johnson,20 September 2021

During the 2018 presidential campaign, Bolsonaro said he would make considerable changes to Brazil's foreign relations, saying that the "Itamaratyneeds 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,andTaiwanshowed 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 someas an attempt to curry favor with theTrumpadministration 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 ongoingChina-U.S. trade war.According toOliver 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 the2007–2008 financial crisisand 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 toIsrael.Bolsonaro also said that theState 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 theArab 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 with Chinese PresidentXi Jinpingin October 2019

Bolsonaro also praised U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpandhis foreign policy,and has been called "the tropical Trump".His sonEduardohas indicated that Brazil should distance itself fromIran,sever ties withNicolás Maduro's government inVenezuelaand relocateBrazil's embassy in IsraeltoJerusalem,although he never committed to his plan to move the embassy and instead opened atrade officein the city.Bolsonaro is widely considered the mostpro-Americancandidate in Brazil since the 1980s. PSL members said that if elected, he would dramatically improverelations between the United States and Brazil.During an October 2017 campaign rally in Miami, he saluted theAmerican flagand led chants of "USA! USA!" to a large crowd.U.S. National Security AdvisorJohn Boltonpraised 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. PresidentJoe Biden,and subsequently deepened ties withRussia,emphasising his neutrality over the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the regional level, Bolsonaro praised Argentine PresidentMauricio Macrifor ending the 12-year rule ofNéstorandCristina Fernández de Kirchner,which he saw as similar to Lula and Rousseff. Although he does not have plans to leave theMercosur,he criticized it for prioritizing ideological issues over economic ones.A staunch anti-communist, Bolsonaro has condemnedCuba's former leaderFidel Castroand the current regime in that island.

Bolsonaro praised British Prime MinisterWinston 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 aU.S. military basein Brazil to counter Russian influence in the region.With the intention to persuade Trump to make Brazil aNATOmember in March 2019, Bolsonaro said: "the discussions with the United States will begin in the coming months".

Bolsonaro with Russian PresidentVladimir Putinin November 2019

With formal U.S. support for Brazil's entry toOECDin 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

The deforestation rate in Brazil surged by 72% during Bolsonaro's time in office, reflecting that Amazon development was his key policy position.

Brazil has the world'slargest tropical rainforestin theAmazon basin.According toThe Washington Post,"Bolsonaro is a powerful supporter ofagribusiness... and is likely to favor profits over preservation.... Bolsonaro has chafed at foreign pressure to safeguardthe Amazon rainforest,and he served notice to international nonprofit groups such as theWorld Wide Fund for Naturethat he will not tolerate their agendas in Brazil. He has also come out strongly againstlandsreserved forindigenous tribes.Bolsonaro advisers additionally say that he plans to expandnuclearand hydroelectric power into the Amazon. "

Bolsonaro rejects thescientific consensus on climate change.He repeatedly threatened to withdraw from theParis Agreementduring his campaign.Even before taking office, he backed out of Brazil's offer to host the2019 UN Climate Change Conference.Ernesto Araújo,the new Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed by Bolsonaro, has called global warminga plotby "cultural Marxists",and eliminated the Climate Change Division of the ministry.Two departments of theMinistry of the Environmentdealing withclimate change in Braziland mitigation and one dealing with deforestation were also eliminated.

In April 2019, theAmerican Museum of Natural Historycanceled an event honouring Bolsonaro after facing heavy public criticism, including from New York MayorBill 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)Amazonianreserve in Brazil's northern states ofParáandAmapáto commercial mining.

Bolsonaro, French PresidentEmmanuel Macronand Saudi Crown PrinceMohammad bin Salmanat the 2019 G20 Osaka summit

Destruction of the Amazon rainforestincreased by 88% for the month of June 2019, during Bolsonaro's first year as president, as compared with the previous year, according to theNational 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 anecocideand agenocide.Indigenous chiefs and human rights organizations have submitted an Article 15 communication to theInternational Criminal Courtfor 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 theCatholic Church(while his wife and one of his sons areEvangelical Christians)and is registered as one with theSuperior Electoral Court.In 2016, he had himself baptised along with three of his sonsFlávio,CarlosandEduardoin theJordan Riverby aPentecostalchurch. Sociologist Christina Vital of theFluminense Federal Universitystated that this act was more than an expression of conversion toEvangelicalismand was meant to create an ambiguous religious identity, through which the Bolsonaro family could appeal to the various groups of voters.

Bolsonaro reportedly attended aBaptistchurch for 10 years.In a 2017 speech, Bolsonaro stated, "God above everything. There is no such thing as asecular 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 withZero Horain 2015, Bolsonaro argued that men and women should not receive the same salaries, because women get pregnant, adding that he believes federal law mandating paidmaternity leaveharms work productivity.Bolsonaro has denied saying that women should receive less than men; he claims it was statistical data byIBGE.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 arguing with federal deputyMaria do Rosárioin theChamber of Deputies,14 September 2016

Bolsonaro provoked controversy for a series of remarks made to and about Federal Deputy and former Human Rights MinisterMaria do Rosário.During a Congressional debate, Bolsonaro said that minors should betreated as adultsif 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 ofhedonic damagesagainst Rosário.In June 2016, the Federal Supreme Court responded to a complaint filed by theAttorney Generaland decided to open two criminal actions against Bolsonaro. The Supreme Court ruled that he had potentiallyincitedrape anddefamedthe 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 acquiredimmunity from prosecution.

Views on homosexuality

Gay Prideparade in São Paulo, June 2011

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 withPlayboy,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 withJornal de Notícias,Bolsonarolinked homosexualitytopedophilia,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 actorStephen Fry's 2013 documentaryOut There,Bolsonaro said, "no father is ever proud of having a gay son" and "we Brazilians do not like homosexuals".

Bolsonaro and his son, Eduardo, together with fellow congressmanMarco Feliciano,watching as a couple of protesters for LGBT rights kiss on the floor of the Committee on Culture of the Chamber of Deputies, May 2016

In a March 2016 video interview forVicewithElliot 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 forhate speechbecause of televised comments he made in 2011 to theCuste o Que Custartelevision 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 thePresidency 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 man and the woman later decide to live with their partner, to form a couple, to live with a same-sex person, go and be happy. But we cannot admit that, by our omission in the Parliament, children become homosexuals in the future, or have such homosexual behaviour in the future, by the influence of school. That is inadmissible.

Since then, Bolsonaro states he has nothing against gays and that he fights only the "gay kit" in schools.On 4October 2018, for example, Bolsonaro said:

Each person, after a certain age, owner of their acts, will take care of their life. For six-year-old children, it cannot be. A father does not want to come home and see his son playing with a doll by 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 byWilliam Bonnerin theJornal Nacionalabout 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

Bolsonaro visits theFederal Senate,March 2016.

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 "killing thirty thousand people,beginning withFernando Henrique Cardoso"(then President of Brazil).During the 2018 campaign, he stated during a rally inAcrethat 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 theBrazilian military dictatorshipwere murdered.

In 1999, talking aboutChico 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 singerPreta Gilon TV showCuste 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 allindigenousandQuilombolaterritories in Brazil, saying that he would not cede "a centimiter" of land to these groups. He also claimed to have visited aquilombo,a settlement formed by descendants of enslaved people, accusingAfro-Brazilianswho lived there of being lazy and unproductive. The politician also claimed that the "least heavy" of the quilombolas weighed sevenarrobas,a unit of measure that is used in Brazil to weigh cattle.These comments have been criticized as an attempt todehumanizeBlack Brazilians.

Bolsonaro is a strong opponent ofaffirmative action,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 thisChamberonly matters such asBolsa 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 ofvoter fraudin past elections, including claims that attempts were made to rig the 2018 presidential election against him;he has also questioned the outcome of the2020 United States presidential election.During his presidency, he has repeatedly challenged the legitimacy ofelectronic votingand 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 ministerCelso 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 AgencydirectorWilliam Burnswarned Bolsonaro against any further attacks on Brazil's electoral system.The 2022 election occurred days after the success of far-right politicianGiorgia Meloniin the2022 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 with his two sons, Eduardo and Flávio, in the late 1980s

Bolsonaro has been married three times and has five children. His first wife was Rogéria Nantes Braga (with whom he has three sons:Flávio,CarlosandEduardo). His second marriage was with Ana Cristina Valle (with whom he has a son, Renan). In 2007, he married his third and current wifeMichelle 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 theSupreme Federal Courtruled thatnepotismis illegal in the public administration.As of 2018,Bolsonaro and his wife lived inBarra da Tijuca,Rio de Janeiro.

Bolsonaro has three granddaughters, two by his son Flávioand one by his son Eduardo.Bolsonaro isCatholic.On October 25, 2018, Bolsonaro was presented with an honorary black belt byRobson Graciedespite never having trainedBrazilian jiu-jitsu.

Honours and awards

National honours

Bolsonaro wearing several Brazilian orders, decorations and medals with white tie and thepresidential sashduring theenthronement ceremonyof Japanese EmperorNaruhito,October 2019

• Grand Master and Grand Cross of theOrder of Rio Branco(1 January 2019)
• Grand Master and Grand Cross of theOrder of Defence Merit(8 January 2019)
• Grand Master and Grand Cross of theOrder of Military Merit(16 June 2019)
• Grand Master and Grand Cross of theOrder of Naval Merit(8 January 2019)
• Grand Master and Grand Cross of theOrder of Aeronautical Merit(3 January 2019)
• Grand Collar of theOrder of Labour Judicial Merit(13 August 2019)
• Grand Cross of theOrder of Military Judicial Merit(28 March 2019)
• TheMauá Medal of Merit(15 August 2019)
• ThePeacemaker Medal(5 December 2018)

Awards

• One ofTimemagazine'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 ofAnguillara Veneta,Italy, his paternal grandfather's hometown.This aroused reactions in Italy.

Electoral history

Presidential

Election	First round				Second round
	Votes	%	Position	Result	Votes	%	Position	Result
2018	49,276,990	46.0	No. 1	Run-off	57,797,847	55.1	No. 1	Elected
2022	51,072,345	43.20	No. 2	Run-off	58,206,354	49.1	No. 2	Not elected

Chamber of Deputies

Election
	Party	Votes	%	Position in Rio de Janeiro State	Result
1990	PDC	67,041	N/A	N/A	Elected
1994	PPR	111,927	2.5	No. 3	Elected
1998	PPB	102,893	1.4	No. 10	Elected
2002	PPB	88,945	1.1	No. 21	Elected
2006	PP	99,700	1.2	No. 14	Elected
2010	PP	120,646	1.5	No. 11	Elected
2014	PP	464,572	6.1	No. 1	Elected

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.

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 -1/13online
• 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-Informacyjny4.106 (2020): 1–22.onlineArchived15 July 2021 at theWayback Machine
• Boito, Armando. "Reform and Political Crisis in Brazil: Class Conflicts in Workers' Party Governments and the Rise of Bolsonaro Neo-fascism." inReform and Political Crisis in Brazil(Brill, 2021).
• Burity, Joanildo. "The Brazilian Conservative Wave, the Bolsonaro Administration, and Religious Actors."Brazilian Political Science Review15 (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), p1-21.
• 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 Affairs97.2 (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 Anthropology24.4 (2019): 893–913.online
• Layton, Matthew L., et al. "Demographic polarization and the rise of the far right: Brazil's 2018 presidential election."Research & Politics8.1 (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 Politica40.2 (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 Americas52.1 (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(in Portuguese)
• Profile in the Chamber of Deputies