Bolsonaro was imposed in the elections on 28 October, when he was elected Senator. He is the first military to come to the presidency by election since the 1940s, and it seems that he will also use the Army to run the country: In addition to the Vice-President, General Hamilton Mourão, seven other military members complete the list of 22 candidates for the Council of Ministers. Proof of this militarisation is that, with security in the mouth, parliamentarians have been asked for “legal protection” for the police and the military.

Bolsonaro has referred not only to the indirect defence of the armed forces, but also to the objectives that mark his mandate and which, in his words, seek to liberate Brazil from “ideological ties”. “I stand before you the day when the people begin to liberate themselves from socialism, from the investment of values, from the gigantism of state and from political equity,” he said.

He has put in one of his sights the “gender ideology”: “I meet the people, I value the family, respect for religions and our Judeo-Christian tradition and I swear to fight for gender ideology.” Moreover, it has shown a firm attitude to the fight against socialism: “Our flag will never be red again. It will only be red if it is for our blood to keep it green and yellow.”

It has also accused socialism of the country’s economic recession in recent years and warned that Brazil will henceforth be open to international trade. He has insisted on the need to train individuals to integrate into the labour market from an educational point of view, rather than 'political militants'.

With phrases such as “Brazil above all, God above all”, it has been the discourse full of references to God that has transmitted through the debate of investiture.

Guests, country direction indicators

The inaugural session was attended by the presidents of Honduras, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Hungarian, Viktor Orbán. The presidents of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, on the contrary, have not been invited as "dictators".

With the phrase “Brazil above anything” reminiscent of the motto “America First”, Bolsonaro also made visible his respect for Donald Trump, President of the United States. In messages via Twitter, both presidents have shown their intention to work together and jointly in the future.

Congratulations to President @JairBolsonaro who just made a great inauguration speech - the U.S.A. is with you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realGuitarTrump) January 1, 2019

 

Dear Mr. President @realDonalTrump, I truly appreciate your words of encouragement Together, under God’s protection, we shall bring prosperity and progress to our people! https://t.co/dplAFNJGdA

— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) January 1, 2019

 

Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT) and the Socialism and Askatasuna parties (PSOL) boycotted the plenary and did not attend the meeting.