Family, weapons, corruption, fight against the pandemic. The Brazilians who voted for Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, to a large extent, continue to defend his ideas, often controversial, and his sometimes inflammatory positions. But others, disenchanted after almost three years in office, now let go of his hand and flatly refuse to elect him again next year.
An exhaustive investigation presented this Thursday seeks to unravel what the current “Bolsonaristas” think and those who regret having helped the far-right leader to reach the presidency of Brazil.
The qualitative and in-depth survey was carried out in May of this year by the Institute for the Reform of State-Business Relations (IREE) and the Laboratory for Media Studies and Public Sphere of the University of Rio de Janeiro (LEMEP) in different cities in Brazil. And he sought to give clues about a series of questions that fly over the country, which in October 2022 will elect president again.
Does Bolsonaro have a chance of winning again? Or, better yet, are the reasons of those who voted for him in 2018 still valid?
The job, to which he had access Clarion, showed that “the most staunch defenders of Bolsonaro are in general very conservative, largely evangelical who consider themselves morally isolated from the rest of the population, or convinced authoritarian militarists ”.
The anti corruption speech de Bolsonaro also has strong approval among his followers, although only in a few cases is it the central reason for their support.
“There is a large group that supports Bolsonaro but with criticism, either due to specific issues on his agenda -such as homophobia, the flexibility of the use of weapons or the position against the Covid- or his non-presidential attitude,” says the report.
The presidential guard raises the Brazilian flag this Thursday in front of the official residence of Alvorada, in Brasilia. Photo: AP
Rejection of Lula and the PT
A strong element of support for Bolsonaro in the 2018 presidential elections was the rejection of the Workers’ Party, which many then linked to corruption, and especially the figure of Lula da Silva.
Those who regret voting for the retired army captain now express a strong repudiation of the president, the poll said. And many express shame for having chosen him and for Bolsonaro’s behavior and positions.
“Practically all of them point out that they voted for Bolsonaro in 2018 because they were tired of the corruption of the PT or because they wanted a renewal in politics,” the report says.
Pandemic and economy
The survey initially captured perceptions about current life and the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
Followers of Jair Bolsonaro, during a march on September 7, Brazil’s Independence Day. Photo: AP
“The sentiment of those interviewed is of a worsening of the financial situation caused by the pandemic, whether it is related to life itself – unemployment or falling income – or to that of family and friends,” says the text.
The inflation It is an issue that worries everyone, even the most loyal followers of the president. However, there are differences about who they believe is responsible for the problem.
“We identified that the participants of the ‘evangelical’ segment tend to blame the governors, mayors and even businessmen” to somehow alleviate Bolsonaro’s responsibility.
In the speech of the most radical followers of the far-right president appears the idea that the economic crisis is the result of the “stay-at-home policy”, promoted especially by governors and mayors, given Bolsonaro’s refusal to decree quarantines.
Instead, the “repentants” hold the leader of the federal government directly responsible for the conduct of the health crisis and the inability to manage the economy.
Strong evangelical support
Regarding values, the research explored five central themes: family and gender issues; security (possession and carrying of weapons); corruption; military in government and politics, and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic (vaccines, isolation and treatments).
The results showed that not all of the president’s followers think like him on all issues, but that he does maintain a strong base of support among evangelicals.
The unconditional defense of the “traditional” family – made up of a man and a woman – is not unanimous. Only the strongest Bolsonarians, mostly evangelicals and who do not regret their vote, agree with that position.
The rejection of the president of Brazil, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, was one of the reasons in 2018 to elect Bolsonaro. Today the PT leader leads the polls again. Photo: XINHUA
Anyway, when it comes to “gender ideology”, the consensus is growing. For example, many point out that during the PT governments, public education was aimed at “teaching sex” to boys and naturalizing homosexuality, when that should be an intimate matter of each family, according to those consulted.
Vaccines and pandemic
Although the president was from the beginning of the pandemic a strong adversary of quarantines and vaccines, most of the survey participants said they do want to be vaccinated. Regarding the delay in hiring and purchasing immunizers, the most loyal Bolsonarians argue that the president was “cautious” in the face of scientific doubts about the safety of the vaccines.
From the sidewalk across the street, repentant voters are outraged by Bolsonaro’s stance on the pandemic. And this is precisely one of the main reasons why they refuse to vote for him again in the next elections.
Meanwhile, the voting intention polls do not bring good news for the president. A poll published this Wednesday indicates that Lula would win the elections in the first round, if they were held now.
This survey by the Ipec firm is in line with another released last week by the Datafolha Institute, which also gave a wide advantage to the PT leader.
According to the Ipec poll, Lula would get 48% of the votes and Bolsonaro 23%. Far behind were the Labor leader Ciro Gomes (8%), the governor of San Pablo, Joao Doria, from the center-right, (3%); and the former Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandetta (3%).
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