“He speaks the language of the people”: the voices of Jair Bolsonaro’s inauguration

Brasilia, January 1, 2019. It’s almost 5 pm and thousands of people have already endured hours of brutal January sunshine, with nothing in the way of shade in the capital’s Esplanade of Ministries. In the square that connects Brazil’s presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court, an enthusiastic crowd waits, decked in yellow and green, with T-shirts bearing a whole array of right-wing slogans. Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has just arrived at the spot where he is to receive the presidential sash from the departing leader, Michel Temer.

The excitement is palpable, with all faces and mobile phone cameras turned toward the presidential palace. Placing the presidential garment around his right shoulder, Mr. Bolsonaro moves to address the nation, alongside the new First Lady, Michelle.

Behind me stands 24-year-old student Cinthia Souza, who arrived early with her family. She is waving a large sign that reads: “January 1st, 2019 – Brazil’s new Independence Day.” She thinks the new president will be able to free the country from most of its ills: “This is our cry. This is our independence from corruption, lack of healthcare, lack of education, and everything that we’ve been suffering from.”

Jair Bolsonaro starts his speech: “I stand before the entire nation, today, the day in which the people starts to free itself from socialism, inverted values, the bloated state, and political correctness.” As expected, the crowd listens to the address in awe. Soon after it’s finished, people begin chanting “A nossa bandeira jamais será vermelha!,” a popular right-wing slogan which claims that “Brazil’s flag will never be red,” a dig at socialism and left-wing politics, but also specifically at the Workers’ Party, which is represented by the color red.

One day before Bolsonaro’s inauguration, businessman Dionisio Magnus Justo was already camped with his family in a motorhome in Brasília’s residential Asa Norte. He decided to spend New Year’s Eve in Brazil’s capital so that he could arrive early to the inauguration of the new president, whom he has supported for...