Online
\nBrasilia
\nA far-right former army captain will be sworn in as Brazil\u2019s new president later on Tuesday.
\nJair Bolsonaro, 63, won the presidential election by a wide margin against Fernando Haddad of the left-wing Workers\u2019 Party on 28 October.
\nBolsonaro was propelled to victory by his campaign promises to curb Brazil\u2019s rampant corruption and crime.
\nBut he has proven a deeply divisive figure whose racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks have angered many.
\nDespite portraying himself as a political outsider during his campaign, Mr Bolsonaro served seven terms in Brazil\u2019s lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, before being elected president.
\nHe has been a member of several political parties but is currently in the Social Liberal Party (PSL), which has grown from having a tiny presence in Congress to becoming the party with the second largest number of deputies in the lower house.
\nBefore becoming a politician, Bolsonaro served in Brazil\u2019s military, where he was a paratrooper and rose to the rank of captain.
\nDuring his time as a lawmaker, Bolsonaro represented the interests of the armed forces and since his election he has named seven former military men to key ministries.
\nHe has also expressed nostalgia for the time when Brazil was under military rule and the hard-line policies enforced during the period in which thousands were jailed and tortured.
\nHe has praised that era as a \u201cglorious period\u201d in Brazil\u2019s history.
\nBrazil only returned to democracy in 1985 after more than 20 years under military rule and some critics see his election as threat to the country\u2019s democracy.
\nSince being elected, Bolsonaro has repeatedly stated that he he is committed to democracy and that he will abide by Brazil\u2019s constitution.
\nBut previous comments he has made endorsing the use of torture and disparaging women, gay people and Afro-Brazilians have left many Brazilians worried.
\nThe election campaign which brought him to power has left the country deeply divided into those who see him as the man to put Brazil onto the right track after massive corruption scandals rocked the country and those who fear he could lead Brazil into an authoritarian future.
\nBolsonaro\u2019s key campaign promises were to drive down crime and to stamp out corruption, which has seen scores of top businessmen and high-ranking politicians, including former President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, jailed.
\nIn order to achieve the former, he wants to loosen laws on gun ownership so that \u201chonest citizens\u201d can carry arms and \u201cprotect themselves\u201d.
\nOn Saturday, he tweeted that he would issue a decree to allow citizens who do not have a criminal record to own guns.
\nDays after being elected, he picked Brazil\u2019s most famous anti-corruption judge, Sergio Moro, as his minister of justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online Brasilia A far-right former army captain will be sworn in as Brazil\u2019s new president later on Tuesday. Jair Bolsonaro, 63, won the presidential election by a wide margin against Fernando Haddad of the left-wing Workers\u2019 Party on 28 October. Bolsonaro was propelled to victory by his campaign promises to curb Brazil\u2019s rampant corruption and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n