1 THE POPULIST FAR-RGHT UPSURGE IN BRAZIL: THE DESIRE FOR SELF-REPRESSION AND THE BANALISATION OF EVIL Matheus Lock The election of Jair Messias Bolsonaro as President of Brazil is the latest episode in the rise of far-right populism across the global political landscape. From Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, Brexit, and Rodrigo Duterte to Italy’s Lega Nord, examples of right-wing populism abound in contemporary politics. In an unprecedented election, Bolsonaro, a former army captain and pro- dictatorship candidate, received the support of around 55% of the Brazilian voters in the second round of the presidential elections. His party, the hitherto miniscule Partido Social Liberal (Social Liberal Party, PSL), became the second largest in the Brazilian lower house, with 52 representatives. Other reactionary figures were also elected, such as Bolsonaro’s sons, Eduardo and Flávio Bolsonaro, Kim Kataguiri (from Movimento Brasil Livre [Free Brazil Movement], now Democrats) and Alexandre Frota (PSL), a former porn actor. Such a ‘reactionary tsunami’, as some media pundits hailed it, was not spotted by most of the opinion polls during the election campaign, caught many by surprise and now presents an almost insurmountable challenge for the Left, that looks, once again, fragmented. Similar to other right-wing populist leaders, Bolsonaro, known by his followers as the Messiah or ‘Legend’, presents himself as the political outsider who will save the nation from corruption, communism and political chaos. Wrapped in a religious conservative rhetoric, Bolsonaro claims he will end political polarisation, class conflict and unify the country under his leadership. During his election campaign, Bolsonaro’s rhetoric in large part drew upon a series of right- wing populist clichés such as jailing crooked politicians, curbing crime and violence with a strong military hand, cutting funds for human rights NGOs, promoting traditional family values, privatisation and cutting government spending, and slashing taxes on inheritance and business to generate economic growth. His main mottos are ‘Brazil above everything, God above all’ and ‘Let’s make Brazil Great! Let’s be proud of our homeland once again!’. However, during his long political career (27 years as a congressman) he became known not only for his neo-conservative political agenda, but mostly for his aggressive hostility towards left-wing politics, minorities, his homophobic, misogynist and racist remarks, and his explicit support and admiration for the Brazilian dictatorship. 1 For years it has been clear to all who follow Brazilian politics that Bolsonaro is a belligerent, ultra-nationalist, far-right, neo-conservative and authoritarian politician. In short, Bolsonaro is a clear example of a contemporary neo-fascist politician. And despite his track record of intolerance and hate-driven politics, he was democratically elected