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Jair Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro, born on March 21, 1955, is the outgoing president of Brazil. The right-wing populist is known for his often controversial and polarizing views.

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All Content on this topic

Fans of Bolsonaro making pistol-like hand gestures

Brazil: Relaxed gun laws prompt violence fears

The number of legal firearms sold in Brazil has grown by 65% during President Bolsonaro's time in office.
SocietyFebruary 11, 2021
French President Emmanuel Macron holds a news conference at the end of a EU leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium, December 11, 2020.

Coronavirus: Politicians who've tested positive

French President Emmanuel Macron is the latest top-tier politician to come down with a case of COVID-19.
CultureJanuary 22, 202117 images
US President-elect Joe Biden

Leaders of Mexico, Brazil finally congratulate Biden

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro and Mexico\s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have finally congratulated President-elect Joe Biden.
PoliticsDecember 16, 2020
Burnt-out area in Amazon

Brazil: Amazon deforestation races to 12-year high

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest reached its highest level since 2008 this year, government data shows.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 30, 2020
A polling station during Brazil's local elections

Brazil local elections deal blow to Bolsonaro

Brazil's traditional right-leaning parties emerged as winners, as candidates with Jair Bolsonaro's backing struggled.
PoliticsNovember 16, 2020
Rainbow flag

Brazil: More trans candidates at local elections

Three times as many trans candidates are running at Brazilian local elections as in 2016.
SocietyNovember 14, 2020
Workers in protective clothing dig holes for to bury the bodies of people who died of COVID-19

Bolsonaro uses vaccine trial for political gain

Bolsonaro and a political rival instrumentalized a vaccine trial to the detriment of Brazilians, scientists have said.
PoliticsNovember 11, 2020
Sinovac Biotech CoronaVac

Coronavirus: Brazil divided over suspended vaccine trials

Jair Bolsonaro has hailed Brazil's suspension of vaccine trials by China’s Sinovac, but his critics aren't satisfied.
PoliticsNovember 11, 2020
Brazilian Reais banknotes

Brazilian senator hid money 'between buttocks'

The senator was raided for suspected corruption and taking money away from coronavirus response funds.
PoliticsOctober 16, 2020
Brasilien Vizepräsident Hamilton Mourao

How bad is the chaos in Brazil's government?

DW asks the vice president about government turmoil and the departure of two health ministers during the pandemic.
PoliticsOctober 8, 2020
Maria Alzenir Lima with mask

Brazil: Struggling with life after COVID-19

Maria Alzenir has recovered from COVID-19 but still struggles with long-term health issues.
HealthOctober 6, 2020
Former Volkswagen worker Raimundo Nonato sits in front of VW factory headquarters during a protest against the presentation of the study of Volkswagen's role in Brazil from 1964 to 1985,

Volkswagen to pay victims of Brazil dictatorship

The car giant has agreed to pay millions in compensation, but victims say the deal does not suffice.
Rule of LawSeptember 24, 2020
A burning tract of the Amazon jungle is seen near Apui, Amazonas State, Brazil,

European nations warn Brazil over Amazon deforestation

Eight nations have warned the Brazilian government of the economic consequence of not curbing deforestation.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 16, 2020
A girl watches as health care workers conduct a medical checkup at a slum in Mumbai, India

Coronavirus digest: 'Decades' of gender equality undone

Millions of girls are out of school, while countries have reported a stark rise in teen pregnancies and marriages.
HealthSeptember 1, 2020
Brazil Artistic Censorship

Freedom in Brazil gradually eroded

“State power is being mobilized to obviate worldviews contrary to the government’s,” says Mariana Valente.
MediaAugust 18, 2020
Franca Tiebot Francis Kommentarbild App

Bolsonaro's murderous negligence

Francis Franca
More than 100,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Brazil. DW's Francis França asks how many more lives will be lost.
HealthAugust 11, 2020
The Twitter and Facebook icons

Brazil court bans global access to social media accounts

Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Facebook and Twitter to block global access to several social media accounts.
SocietyAugust 5, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro lifting his mask off his face

World in Progress Brazil's Bolsonaro vs. coronavirus

Despite rising coronavirus infections, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro does little to acknowledge the pandemic.
HealthAugust 5, 202029:59 min
Overview of burnings in the vicinity of the BR-163 highway in northern Brazil, in the Amazon region

Brazil: Amazon wildfires surge in July

Experts fear a sharp drought and ongoing deforestation could trigger a repeat of the large fires of August 2019.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 2, 2020
Brasiliens Präsident Bolsonaro

Facebook removes fake accounts tied to Bolsonaro

Fake personas of journalists posted about local elections and shared memes as part of a network of disinformation.
PoliticsJuly 9, 2020
A Brazilian with a Bolsonaro mask

Brazilians mock Bolsonaro's COVID-19 diagnosis

Many Brazilians say it serves the president right after he downplayed the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic.
PoliticsJuly 8, 2020
USA Miami | Coronavirus | Jackson Memorial Hospital

Coronavirus latest: US: 3 million infected with virus

Case numbers in the United States have increased by another million over the past month. Follow DW for the latest. 
SocietyJuly 8, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro

After downplaying virus, Bolsonaro tests positive

Jair Bolsonaro has long criticized or even outright flouted restrictions imposed to halt the spread of coronavirus.
HealthJuly 7, 2020
Brasilien Brasilia Präsident Jair Bolsonaro bei Pro-Regierungs Demonstration

Coronavirus: WHO wishes Bolsonaro 'full' recovery

The WHO has wished Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro a rapid convalescence. Follow DW for the latest.
HealthJuly 7, 2020
Brasilien Jair Bolsonaro Präsident

Brazil's Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

The leader's often cavalier attitude to the virus in recent weeks had already raised eyebrows.
HealthJuly 7, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro with Ricardo Salles

Brazil prosecutors target minister over Amazon destruction

Ricardo Salles is accused of promoting policies that "violate" his duty to protect the environment.
PoliticsJuly 7, 2020
Brazil's education minister resigns over CV controversy

Brazil's education minister resigns over CV controversy

Brazil's education minister resigned amid accusations that he lied over his academic record.
EducationJuly 1, 2020
Bolsonaro waves to his supporters at one of the recent protests in his support, opposing coronavirus health restrictions and recent developments against Bolsonaro in Brazil's Supreme Court. Archive image from May 17, 2020.

Brazil: Police raid Bolsonaro supporters' homes, offices

Brazil's media outlet Globo says 26 search warrants against 21 persons were exercised across several cities.
PoliticsJune 16, 2020
Brazil, Sao Paolo: Protest & Demonstration

Police violence endures in Bolsonaro's Brazil

Anti-black racism has deep roots in Brazilian society — and police violence is a clear manifestation of that.
Law and JusticeJune 10, 2020
Brazil clear-cutting in the Amazon

Brazil deforestation even bigger than reported

Amazon deforestation rose by 34.4% year-on-year in Brazil, the country's space agency INPE has said.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 10, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro on a horse

Bolsonaro orders security forces to intervene in protests

Anti-government protesters are "outcasts, delinquents, and addicts," according to the Brazilian president.
PoliticsJune 5, 2020
Damaged glass at the CNN Center in Atlanta

US attack on press freedom gains supporters

Donald Trump's anti-media strategy is finding imitators in other Western democratic states.
Press FreedomJune 2, 2020
Brasilien | Coronavirus | Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil: Bolsonaro 'expects' Supreme Court to drop his case

Brazil's president issued a statement denying the allegations of his former justice minister, Sergio Moro.
PoliticsMay 26, 2020
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, wearing a face mask, greets supporters during a protest

Brazil headed for coronavirus catastrophe

Despite more than 17,500 COVID-19 victims, President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to take the pandemic seriously.
SocietyMay 19, 2020
Bolsonaro points to the sky

Brazil coronavirus death toll rises sharply

Brazil now has the fourth-largest COVID-19 outbreak in the world, surpassing former epicenters Spain and Italy.
PoliticsMay 18, 2020
Pigeons sit atop the Christ the Redeemer statue that is covered with a face mask in Brazil

Is Brazil the new COVID-19 epicenter?

Politicians are divided about what to do, but experts say none has an effective strategy.
HealthMay 13, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil: Bolsonaro denies shielding family in meddling charge

Jair Bolsonaro allegedly made illegitimate attempts to protect his family from a police probe during a cabinet meeting.
PoliticsMay 13, 2020
Brazil, Amazon Rainforest

Brazil deploys military to protect Amazon rainforest

Brazil launched a military deployment to the Amazon days after government data showed a surge in deforestation in 2020.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 12, 2020
Smoke billows from a fire in the Amazon rainforest

Amazon deforestation surges by half

The Amazon rainforest has lost over 1,200 square km so far in 2020, while Brazil focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 9, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro

Where could Brazil's investigation of Bolsonaro lead?

The result of the probe into Brazil's president could trigger a dramatic chain of events largely hinging on one person.
PoliticsApril 29, 2020
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro delivers a press conference in Brasilia

Brazil court allows Bolsonaro investigation

The Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into claims that the president attempted to influence federal police.
PoliticsApril 28, 2020
Brasilien Brasilia | Sergio Moro, Justizminister | Rücktritt

Brazil's justice minister quits, says Bolsonaro was meddling

Former anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro has quit, accusing the president of meddling with law enforcement.
PoliticsApril 24, 2020
Brazilian pastor Silas Malafaia

How Brazil's evangelicals are spinning COVID-19

Following the lead of President Jair Bolsonaro, preachers in Brazil are competing to define the coronavirus.
ReligionApril 6, 2020
A street vendor sells face masks on Copacobana beach in Rio de Janeiro

Brazil heads toward 'perfect storm'

Brazil's health system is preparing to fight three epidemics as the president continues to downplay the coronavirus.
HealthApril 1, 2020
Brasilien - Rio de Janeiro - Corona-Krise: Graffiti gegen Bolsonaro

Brazil: Bolsonaro polarizes over coronavirus

The president's calls for Brazilians to ignore isolation measures are repelling moderate fans — but energizing his base
CatastropheMarch 30, 2020
Jair Bolsonaro and Juan Guaido

Brazil withdraws entire diplomatic staff from Venezuela

President Jair Bolsonaro has also ordered all of Venezuela's diplomatic personnel to leave Brazil.
PoliticsMarch 6, 2020
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro with General Walter Souza Braga Netto

Bolsonaro names general as chief of staff

Far-right President Bolsonaro has largely relied on military men to marshal his agenda in Brazil.
PoliticsFebruary 14, 2020
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil: Bolsonaro wants mining on indigenous land

The Brazilian president described the act as a "dream" while indigenous leaders have labeled it a "genocide bill."
Nature and EnvironmentFebruary 6, 2020
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in New Delhi with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind

Bolsonaro guest of honor on India's Republic Day

On the anniversary of India's constitution taking effect, the far-right Brazilian president was given an honorary title.
PoliticsJanuary 26, 2020
Two people with traditional face paint, headdresses, and jewellery

Indigenous communities resist Bolsonaro

As violence escalates in Brazil, indigenous Amazonians have vowed to protect their land and way of life.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 17, 2020