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Jair Bolsonaro

This Month

Joe and Hunter Biden.

Biden (not Trump) has weakened America’s rule of law

In pardoning his son, the president has ensured that the distance between himself and Trump is now shrouded in fog.

  • Edward Luce

March

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a pro-business agenda making the country ripe for investing.

Narendra Modi figures out what Trump never has

Alone among strongmen, the Indian PM now concentrates on broadening support rather than just stoking the resentments of his base.

  • Mihir Sharma

July 2023

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, at a ceremony with indigenous leaders in Brasilia in April.

Brazil to launch multibillion-dollar green transition

Investors welcome the bold environmentalist program proposed by left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

  • Bryan Harris
Joesley Batista confessed to bribing 1829 Brazilian politicians and officials.

JBS Australia prepares for 1500 Brazilians

Wait until you hear of the good deeds of JBS Without Borders’ roving abattoir workers.

  • Myriam Robin
Five judges on the nation’s highest electoral court agreed that Bolsonaro abused his authority.

Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from elections until 2030

The decision upends the political future of the 68-year-old far-right former president, likely erasing any chance for him to regain power.

  • Mauricio Savarese and Diane Jeantet
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January 2023

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro storm the Supreme Court building in Brasilia on January 8

Can Lula put Brazilian democracy back together again?

From the military to the Supreme Court, many of the country’s institutions are creaking under accusations of divided loyalties.

  • Michael Stott, Bryan Harris and Myles McCormick
Security at Brazil’s Supreme Court is reinforced by National Force troops, including members of the military and civil police and military firemen, before planned protests on Wednesday.

Brazil government acts against Bolsonaro backers, new protest fizzles

Mass demonstrations proposed on pro-Bolsonaro social media to “retake power” failed to materialise.

  • Ricardo Brito and Anthony Boadle
A Federal investigator outside the Brazilian Supreme Court building in front of windows damaged by supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Rioters arrested, now Brazil goes after security officials

The nation’s top officials have turned their focus to the political and business elites suspected of inspiring, organising or aiding the rioters.

  • Ana Ionova, André Spigariol and Jack Nicas
Workers clear debris caused by radical supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro following a riot at Planalto Palace.

Bolsonaro in Florida hospital, supporters detained after riots

President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva accused rioters of trying to overthrow democracy and questioned why the army had not discouraged calls for a military coup outside their barracks.

  • Gabriel Araujo, Anthony Boadle and Jamie McGeever
Questionable allegiances. Members of the military outside the Planalto Palace following attacks on government buildings by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia.

Insurrection in Brazil raises questions over loyalty of security forces

Sunday’s storming of government buildings was their first big test under Lula. More will follow.

  • Michael Stott
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Assault on presidential palace, congress challenges Brazil’s democracy

The siege in Brazil’s political capital suggests a spreading plague of far-right disrupters in Western democracies, as hardliners radicalised by incendiary political rhetoric refuse to accept election losses.

  • Anthony Boadle
Supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro clash with police during a protest outside the presidential palace.

Pro-Bolsonaro protesters storm Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court

Thousands of demonstrators also invaded the presidential palace in scenes reminiscent of the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol.

  • Diane Jeantet
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, centre left, walks up the ramp of Planalto Palace with representatives of the Brazilian people after being sworn-in during an inauguration ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil.

Lula becomes Brazil’s president, with Bolsonaro in Florida

Mr Bolsonaro was supposed to pass Lula the presidential sash, an important symbol of the peaceful transition of power in a nation where many people still recall the 21-year military dictatorship that ended in 1985.

  • Anthony Boadle and Gabriel Stargardter

November 2022

Lula embraces his wife Rosangela, after defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro this week. Foreign investors also love the leftwinger.

Foreign investors find Lula easier to love than locals

Brazilian investors are more critical of Lula than foreign counterparts, who remember his two terms in office for prosperity fuelled by a commodities boom.

  • The Lex Column
Jair Bolsonaro makes a brief statement two days after being defeated in the presidential runoff.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro appears to agree to hand over power

While not conceding defeat, Jair Bolsonaro said he respected the constitution and authorised his government to start a transition to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

  • Daniel Carvalho and Andrew Rosati
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Despite some protests and blockades in Bolsonaro territory, investors are confident of a relatively smooth transition.

Investors bet on orderly transition of power in Brazil

The Brazilian real posted its biggest gain in almost a month in the election’s aftermath, surging as much as 2.7 per cent for the best performance among all currencies tracked by Bloomberg.

  • Maria Elena Vizcaino and Felipe Saturnino
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks to supporters after defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential run-off election.

Lula’s back, but not as we knew him

Brazil has returned an old leftist to power in place of a populist right-winger. But economic reality should rein in any old left policymaking.

  • Updated
  • Mark Mulligan
Truck drivers and other supporters of Jair Bolsonaro block roads in protest in Brazil’s south.

Bolsonaro’s silence on election loss has Brazil on edge

His refusal to immediately recognise the result isn’t a surprise given his long history of attacks against Brazil’s electoral system. But it’s hardly a sign that the institutional framework of the country is about to be derailed.

  • Juan Pablo Spinetto and Daniel Carvalho

October 2022

How cannibalism became a top issue in Brazil’s election

The campaign sank into a mire of mud-slinging in its final days, also punctuated by accusations of freemasonry, devil worship and paedophilia.

  • Simon Romero
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrates with his wife Rosangela Silva, left, and running mate Geraldo Alckmin, right.

Lula defeats Bolsonaro to become Brazil’s president – again

The leftist former president overcame a graft conviction to defeat far-right president Jair Bolsonaro in a stunning comeback.

  • Updated
  • Simone Iglesias

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/jair-messias-bolsonaro-1my2