1 An Era of Autocratization? Are We Experiencing an Era of Democratic Backsliding?
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Natasha Lindstaedt
Abstract
The Brazilian presidential election in late October 2018 saw a run-off between right-wing authoritarian candidate Jair Bolsonaro and former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro’s campaign rhetoric targeted minorities, gay people and women, and exposed his nostalgia for a return to military rule. Bolsonaro had gained attention in a radio interview in 2016, in which he said that the Brazilian military dictatorship’s one mistake was torturing but not killing. In spite of this, Bolsonaro managed to win the second round handily, with 55.1 per cent of the votes (Bloomberg News, 2018; Phillips, 2018).
After his inauguration on 1 January 2019, Bolsonaro appointed members of the armed forces to key government posts, including vice president and the ministers of defence, science and technology, and mines and energy, as well as to the government secretariat, which handles relations with parliament. Seven out of twenty two ministers in his administration came from the armed forces (including reservists), more even than in some governments during the military dictatorship of 1964–1985.
The press referred to Bolsonaro as ‘Tropical Trump’, a moniker that alluded not only to Bolsonaro’s right-wing agenda but also to the two leaders’ shared disdain for democratic institutions and human rights. Both leaders also made false claims about the fairness of their countries’ elections just prior to their victories.
Just two years before Bolsonaro’s big win, the election of Trump brought to the fore the populist challenge facing Western democracy. But Trump’s win was preceded by other alarming developments for democracy. One of the earliest challenges came from Viktor Orbán in Hungary.
Abstract
The Brazilian presidential election in late October 2018 saw a run-off between right-wing authoritarian candidate Jair Bolsonaro and former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro’s campaign rhetoric targeted minorities, gay people and women, and exposed his nostalgia for a return to military rule. Bolsonaro had gained attention in a radio interview in 2016, in which he said that the Brazilian military dictatorship’s one mistake was torturing but not killing. In spite of this, Bolsonaro managed to win the second round handily, with 55.1 per cent of the votes (Bloomberg News, 2018; Phillips, 2018).
After his inauguration on 1 January 2019, Bolsonaro appointed members of the armed forces to key government posts, including vice president and the ministers of defence, science and technology, and mines and energy, as well as to the government secretariat, which handles relations with parliament. Seven out of twenty two ministers in his administration came from the armed forces (including reservists), more even than in some governments during the military dictatorship of 1964–1985.
The press referred to Bolsonaro as ‘Tropical Trump’, a moniker that alluded not only to Bolsonaro’s right-wing agenda but also to the two leaders’ shared disdain for democratic institutions and human rights. Both leaders also made false claims about the fairness of their countries’ elections just prior to their victories.
Just two years before Bolsonaro’s big win, the election of Trump brought to the fore the populist challenge facing Western democracy. But Trump’s win was preceded by other alarming developments for democracy. One of the earliest challenges came from Viktor Orbán in Hungary.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables v
- List of Boxes vi
- List of Snapshots vii
- List of Case Studies viii
- Glossary ix
- Introduction 1
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The Current Landscape
- An Era of Autocratization? Are We Experiencing an Era of Democratic Backsliding? 17
- Entering the Grey Zone 43
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Public Opinion and Norms
- Measuring and Defining Public Support for Democracy and Autocracy 65
- What Shapes Public Support for Autocratization? Political Culture, Education, Religion, Personality and Authoritarian Legacies 85
- International and Informational Sources of Authoritarian Norms 103
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Causes and Context
- Globalization 127
- Corruption 151
- Authoritarian Populism 169
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Symptoms and Processes
- Assaults on the Media and Civil Society 193
- Assaults on Institutions 217
- Assaults on Electoral Processes 241
- Protests and Reforms 263
- Conclusion 293
- Notes 301
- References 303
- Index 397
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables v
- List of Boxes vi
- List of Snapshots vii
- List of Case Studies viii
- Glossary ix
- Introduction 1
-
The Current Landscape
- An Era of Autocratization? Are We Experiencing an Era of Democratic Backsliding? 17
- Entering the Grey Zone 43
-
Public Opinion and Norms
- Measuring and Defining Public Support for Democracy and Autocracy 65
- What Shapes Public Support for Autocratization? Political Culture, Education, Religion, Personality and Authoritarian Legacies 85
- International and Informational Sources of Authoritarian Norms 103
-
Causes and Context
- Globalization 127
- Corruption 151
- Authoritarian Populism 169
-
Symptoms and Processes
- Assaults on the Media and Civil Society 193
- Assaults on Institutions 217
- Assaults on Electoral Processes 241
- Protests and Reforms 263
- Conclusion 293
- Notes 301
- References 303
- Index 397
