Hours after far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro won the presidential run-off election in Brazil, human rights groups on Sunday night expressed concerns about the future of democracy in the largest country in South America.
In a statement after election results confirmed Bolsonaro's victory, Amnesty International cited Bolsonaro's comments on loosening gun control and allegations of homophobia against him.
“The president-elect has campaigned with an openly anti-human rights agenda and frequently made discriminatory statements about different groups of society. His election as Brazil's president could pose a huge risk to Indigenous Peoples and quilombolas, traditional rural communities, LGBTI people, black youth, women, activists and civil society organisations, if his rhetoric is transformed in public policy,” Amnesty International argued.
Human Rights Watch called on Brazil's judges, journalists and civil society to be vigilant after Bolsonaro's victory and declared it would join them in “standing up against attempts to erode democratic rights and institutions”.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain and congressman, has been accused of applauding the period of military rule in Brazil from the 1960s to 80s. Bolsonaro allegedly told a woman lawmaker that she wasn't “worth raping” and even confessed he would rather see his sons die than come out as gay. Bolsonaro was stabbed while campaigning in Juiz de Fora in September, following which he restricted campaign appearances and used Facebook to reach out to voters.
However, Bolsonaro managed to tap into deep-rooted resentment against corruption, crime and economic stagnation in the years of leftist rule. Official results gave Bolsonaro 55 per cent of the final vote count, over 10 per cent more than his nearest rival, Fernando Haddad.
Following his victory, Bolsonaro announced he would govern following the “Bible and the constitution” but reiterated his opposition to “extremism of the left”.
Bolsonaro has been called the “tropical Trump” for his similarities to US President Donald Trump in opposing established political norms and also using social media to reach out to supporters. Interestingly, Trump congratulated Bolsonaro soon after his victory.
(With agency inputs)
