The government of Jair Bolsonaro and the radical right in Brazil: the attempted coup d’état of January 8, 2023

Abstract

Bolsonarism, as a radical right-wing political movement consolidated during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022), remains politically active even after the end of his presidential term. Ideologically, its supporters advocate a nationalist worldview based on three main pillars: moral conservatism focused on traditional values; the defense of economic liberalism in its ultraliberal form; and the promotion of a socio-political order grounded in the militarization of the state and society. The articulation of these elements varies among the different sectors that compose the movement. To analyze the positions and motivations of Bolsonaro’s supporters, this study examines specialized scholarship and documents produced by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the anti-democratic acts of January 8, 2023. It also analyzes the commission’s final report, which investigated the attacks on the buildings of Brazil’s three branches of government in Brasília, carried out by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro in an attempt to create conditions for military intervention and the annulment of the presidential election results based on allegations of electoral fraud.