Bolsonaro victory could lead to Brazil scaling back its interests in Africa

His eldest son is a senator from the state of Rio de Janeiro, his second son is a city councilor from Rio, and his third son is a federal congressman from the state of São Paulo. He himself has served seven terms as a congressman and has been a member of several political parties.

However Jair BolsonaroAs the leading candidate in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election run-off, he likes to present himself as a newcomer outside the “system.”

The rhetoric of newcomers, untainted by the culture of corruption that prevails among the political class, is a powerful instrument that has succeeded in bringing the interests of different social classes into line with those of experienced right-wing politicians.

Bolsonaro is the Social Liberal Party candidate. Incitementhelpful, racist, misogynistic, homophobic. The former army captain has managed to unite a diverse group of people whose commitment to democracy depends on the exclusion of various sectors of Brazilian society. He has huge support among Brazil’s numerous evangelical communities. These communities have reoriented their religious fervor into passionate hatred and Demonizing opponents.

Bolsonaro calmed the fears of the middle class, which felt they were losing privilege. He also validated their dislike for the “others” within Brazil — that is, black Brazilians and various Indian groups. In fact, he promised to keep privileged spaces like university education, residential suburbs, and commercial spaces away from the poor.

For Bolsonaro, the choice Brazilians have to make is fairly simple: either “prosperity, freedom, family and God” — in other words, him, or “Venezuela’s path.” Fernando Adad’s Workers’ Party.

In the first round of elections, Bolsonaro’s party won 46% of the vote. Adad’s Workers’ Party won 29%. Adad is often the victim of verbal abuse from his opponents. Bolsonaro is a slavery denier who claims that the Portuguese never set foot in Africa and that Africans themselves “Transporting” slaves to Brazil.

Needless to say, his view of Africa is narrow, considering only Brazil’s unrest, tensions, and unresolved racial issues. As a result, his government is likely to reduce Brazil’s engagement with the continent.

Is Lula’s African moment over?

Bolsonaro is expected to translate the current administration’s threat to close Brazilian embassies in Africa into policy. Scholarships for African students Also expected.

Domestically, he is expected to further restrict immigration and focus on national priorities. These include Brazil’s sluggish economy, social divisions, high crime rates and, more importantly, Economic depression.

The only area where the Bolsonaro government’s policies might intersect with previous ones might be military cooperation and trade in military equipment.

If one knows anything about Bolsonaro’s views on African foreign policy, his running mate, General Hamilton Mourao, makes them abundantly clear. In a recent speech, he criticized the South-South diplomacy of Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, claiming that it led to costly ties with “dirty scum” countries (in Africa) that did not No “return”.

Africa is at the heart of Lula da Silva’s geopolitical aspirations, as he seeks to position Brazil in expanding and reforming multilateralism. During his eight years as president, he made 12 trips to 27 African countries.

But Brazil’s African moment has begun to fade under Rousseff. Bolsonaro’s election may well mark the end of Africa-Brazil relations as we know them. It could even mean the end of what has been dubbed the “African Group of Five.” BRICS Because he promised to review Brazil’s Join the Alliance.

Brazil has particularly close ties with Africa, including the Portuguese-speaking countries of Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe. Angola in particular has become a springboard for Brazil’s expansion into the South Atlantic. Beyond the Portuguese-speaking world.

Lula da Silva seeks to achieve this through the biennial Africa-South America summit and through India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue ForumBetween 2000 and 2010, he doubled the number of Brazilian diplomatic personnel in Africa. 39 embassies. During the same period, 18 African embassies Opened in Brasilia.

These initiatives have fueled Brazil’s global rise. For example, Brazil succeeded in getting José Graziano da Silva elected as Director-General of the United Nations. FAO With the strong support of African countries.

Beyond being a timely strategy, Brazil’s engagement with Africa helps enhance its global standing and supports Brazil’s ambition to become a leading spokesperson for the Global South.

Economic Strategy

Brazil’s economic strategy is similar to that of other emerging powers, which is an expansionist model, mainly targeting resource-rich and fast-growing economies. Its exports are mainly destined for Egypt and Nigeria, while its imports mainly come from Algeria and Nigeria.

Between 2000 and 2013, trade between Brazil and Africa increased from $4.3 billion to $28.5 billionBut it went down $12.4 billion In 2016, Brazil suffered from economic recession and political turmoil.

Brazil’s economic engagement with Africa is not without its problems. For example, infrastructure giant Odebrecht was at the heart of Operation Lava-Jato, the biggest corruption scandal in modern democratic history. It involved more than 200 political and business leaders. Over $2 billion.

Under Bolsonaro, economic relations are expected to take a different turn. Embrapa His popularity in Africa is expected to grow as he pushes for agricultural business expansion. But it will also bring its own set of problems, especially pollution caused by fertilizers and the health risks that come with it. However, it is unlikely to stop him.