After the results of the elections this Sunday, elected President Jair Bolsonaro (Social Liberal Party, PSL) addressed the Brazilian people on television. In his government, he will seek to reduce the Federal government’s structure and simplify bureaucracy, as well as to eliminate waste in public spending and political privileges. He will aim at stopping the growth of debt and make public deficit and interest rates drop

The 2018 General elections brought the largest change to the Brazilian Congress in 20 years, with many traditional parties and politicians losing ground to a new composition of congressmen. The results showed a clear growth of right-wing actors in Congress, generally in favor of economic liberalism, rather than nationalistic and anti-IP agendas. Indeed, the Liberal Social Party (PSL) had the biggest growth in seats at the Congress.

Under strong security, Jair Bolsonaro took office as Brazil’s President on January 1st. The inauguration was organized in four stages: it began in the afternoon with an ecumenical cult in the Cathedral of Brasilia. From there, Bolsonaro paraded next to the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, in a vehicle that took him to the National Congress, where he took office as president and stated that he wants to free Brazil from corruption, crime and economic mismanagement. Soon after, he headed to the Planalto Palace, the executive branch’s head office, and, in the evening, he participated in a cocktail held in the Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The election of Jair Bolsonaro (Social Liberal Party, PSL) on October 28th, 2018 as Brazil’s next President signals a departure from the foreign policy conducted by Head of States affiliated to the Workers’ Party (PT) in the past decade and a half. In fact, Bolsonaro has constructed his political identity on a narrative of radical change [Link].

On his first international trip since he became President, Jair Bolsonaro delivered, this Tuesday 22nd January, the keynote speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Araújo, traveled this week to the United States (US) to prepare for Jair Bolsonaro’s official visit next month.

General Floriano Peixoto has been appointed as Minister of the Presidency’s General Secretariat, after President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed Gustavo Bebianno on February 18th, amid a scandal involving campaign financing for some of the Social Liberal Party’s (PSL) congressional candidates.

Jair Bolsonaro, who travelled last week to the United States (US) on his first bilateral visit, demonstrated he is prioritizing the construction of a solid partnership with Donald Trump’s administration. [Link] Trump declared that “the US and Brazil have never been this close”, and rewarded Brazil through concessions for its approximation to the US. [Link]