Newly elected Jair Bolsonaro is plowing ahead with his plans to restructure the Brazilian state. While not yet in office, his initial cabinet picks have given a great deal of insight into how he plans to lead, as he has slashed the number of government ministries and will head the remaining ministries with a mix of hardcore free market proponents such as University of Chicago educated Paulo Guedes and military figures such as his Vice President Hamilton Mourão. Bolsonaro, who has long praised the Brazilian military dictatorship of the late 20th century, has come under fire for his ambitious plans, and has in fact moderated some of his more extreme campaign policies. For example, he has vowed to defend the same constitution and institutions that he very recently advocated overthrowing. He has also
Nevertheless, Bolsonaro represents a seismic shift in Brazilian politics, which have long been dominated by the socialist PT (Worker’s Party). Bolsonaro defeated PT candidate Fernando Haddad in the second round of the presidential election in late October, after his massive overperformance in the first round earlier that month. Bolsonaro’s rise has come after years of abject mismanagement by the established parties of Brazil, and Bolsonaro, flaws and all, seemed to the voters of Brazil like the only alternative to high unemployment, corruption, and rising crime.
Unforutnately for Bolsonaro, his minor political party has a small hold in the two houses of the Brazilian legislature, and he will have a hard time getting things accomplished in the face of the residual corruption and gridlock he railed against throughout his career. This may be part of Bolsonaro’s calculation as he stacks the executive branch with military officials, as he may soon have the casus belli to go forward with his long stated dream of toppling the Brazilian Republic and restoring a military regime. Having so many military members in the government is already blurring the lines between armed forces and civilian authority.
To conclude, Bolsonaro’s picks have a great deal of planning behind them. By making his military-heavy executive branch extremely streamlined and efficient, he will provide the Brazilian people, who backed him even after earlier in his career he said he would overthrow the government and execute political officials if elected, a viable alternative to the poorly functioning legislature.