The 28th of October marked two years since the national elections that catapulted Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil. While the government took pains to show the work it has been doing throughout this period, emphasizing infrastructural projects, drug trafficking combat, and an agribusiness expansion, Brazilians are facing high COVID-19 infection rates and an unprecedented increase in deforestation and forest fires. With the municipal elections fast-approaching, Bolsonaro gave way to his initial stance against endorsing candidates running for mayor and city councillor – fearing that a potential loss might damage his own image – and publicly supported a few names, mostly in the country’s major cities. This about-turn, far from being an unorthodox political manoeuvre, is rather congruent with the president’s flexible approach to governance which appears to prioritise popularity and political alliances over policies and consistence.
As a populist leader, Bolsonaro successfully presented himself as an ‘anti-system’ candidate who could challenge the political and cultural elites and bring about an end to the ills that ravaged politics. Indeed, despite his long-standing political career, which begun in 1989, Bolsonaro not only managed to dissociate himself from the tainted image of a politician at a time when the country was shaken and vexed by the revelation of a series of corruption scandals, but by emphasizing his military past and inviting the reserve Army General, Hamilton Mourão, on his ticket, he effectively repositioned himself outside of the political establishment.
Yet two years after his election, Bolsonaro continues to behave as if he is outside of ‘the system’ and consistently distances himself from any event that does not appear favourable to his popularity. Determined to maintain the support of his most loyal ‘ideological’ base and expand his constituency beyond the groups that voted for him in 2018, the Brazilian president agilely acts to preserve his image as an outsider; someone who struggles to govern in earnest despite the many adversities and obstacles his enemies lay on his way. In his effort to forge an image of a down-to-earth honest ‘soldier’ working for his country and its people, Bolsonaro is quick to renege on decisions taken or avoid taking responsibility for the consequences of his own actions, preferring instead to blame others.
