Hardly any other politician in Europe has as bad a reputation as Brazil's right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro, who must hand over office to his opponent Lulo da Silva after losing a runoff election on Sunday. First of all, Bolsonaro himself is to blame for this image: his sometimes vulgar-populist style with blatant old man jokes about potency, insults such as those addressed to the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, and spitting on Amazon natives characterizes the left-wing media coverage of him abroad.
But behind this prevailing image, there is another side to Bolsonaro's mandate. And that perspective explains why a politician who is so unpopular in Europe still has so many supporters in Brazil. Bolsonaro's honest balance includes important facts that are kept silent abroad.
Economic recovery
At the beginning of October, perhaps the most important news for President Bolsonaro in the election campaign was announced. The World Bank has corrected the forecast for the current year: the gross domestic product for 2022 will not grow by 1,5%, but by as much as 2,5%. By way of comparison: the federal government in Berlin expects a recession of around -0,4% in the coming year. The slow but steady recovery of the economy of Brazil, a large country of at least 215 million inhabitants, is especially visible in the big metropolises, where numerous new shops and bars are opening.
All this is also reflected in the labor market: according to a study made by "CNN", Brazil can currently show the best development of all the G-20 countries in the fight against unemployment. The unemployment rate fell from 13,1% in August 2021 to 8,9% in August 2022. No other G20 nation can boast such a decline. The current unemployment rate of 8,7% is also the lowest since July 2015.
Record profits of key industries
Hardly any other company is as important to the economic self-reliance of Brazilians as the semi-state energy company Petrobras. During the mandate of leftist presidents Lula and his party mate Dilma Rousseff (2003 to 2016), the company had a catastrophic total loss of $20,66 billion. In the last two years under Bolsonaro, however, things have gone uphill: in 2021, Petrobras made a profit of $19,8 billion.
In February 2016, the value of Petrobras shares was at an embarrassing level of 1,03 euros as a result of the ongoing losses under Lula and Dilma in the billions of dollars. In mid-October 2022, the Petrobras share traded for 7,30 euros. Therefore, their value increased seven times under Bolsonaro.
Brazil's agricultural industry, highly unpopular with European Greens because of deforestation in the Amazon, has a similar history of growth. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IGBE), agricultural production reached a record 145 billion euros last year. Growth of almost 60% under Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro has rightly ignored the fact that left-wing Europeans criticize Brazil's environmental protection policies, because Brazil has one of the cleanest electricity industries in the world.
With 43%, Brazil has the largest share of renewable energy sources among the G20 countries, which is literally twice as much as the left-leaning European Union, which, according to the data of the German Federal Statistical Office, had only about 22% of the corresponding share in 2021. In Brazil last year, under Bolsonaro, the largest wind park in Latin America, the famous "Lagoa dos Ventos" (Lagoon of the Winds), was opened.
Tax cuts
At the beginning of the year, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Brazil to demonstrate against high fuel prices and demand immediate action from the Bolsonaro government. At that time, the average price for a liter of gasoline was around 1,40 euros, which was unaffordable for the vast majority of Brazilians. Today, the price of fuel is 95 cents or 30% lower. A significant reduction in prices was made possible by Bolsonaro's order on zero tax on fuel until the end of December.
The gasoline tax exemption flows directly to customers and should help Brazilians through a period of inflation. The result is already visible: according to IGBE reports, Brazil is experiencing deflation for the third month in a row. In September, prices even fell to -0,29%, which is the biggest drop in prices since 1980.
Lowest kill count almost ever
In the middle of the year, the "Forum for Public Safety" published the latest data on the number of murders in Brazil. According to these figures, there were 2021 registered murders in 47.503 in this huge country. In international comparison, Brazil is still a country with a high homicide rate, but according to "CNN" that number is at its lowest level in the last ten years.
Particularly interesting: in the impoverished northeast of Brazil, the stronghold of Bolsonaro's opponent Lula, the murder rate dropped very noticeably during Bolsonaro's tenure. In 2017, 27.288 murders were recorded in the North East. Today, this region is still the statistical leader, but, according to the Forum's assessment, the situation has significantly improved to 20.500 registered murders in 2021, that is, almost 25% less.
Translation: Mirko Vuletić
Bonus video:
