5 Jan 2019

Brazil's new far-right leader ignites abrupt change

From The Weekend , 8:12 am on 5 January 2019
Jair Bolsonaro (R) swears in as Brazil's new President.

Jair Bolsonaro (R) swears in as Brazil's new President. Photo: AFP

Brazil's newly sworn-in president, Jair Bolsonaro, was a political outsider who swept to power on promises to crack down on corruption and violence. But even before taking office this week, he had been already directed the beginnings of radical change in the country; it looks to include an increase in guns, closer ties to the United States, more deforestation of the Amazon, and a more conservative approach to gender and sexuality - especially in schools. Ernesto Londoño is the New York Times' Brazil bureau chief, based in Rio de Janeiro.