Brazil now enters a period without Jair Bolsonaro in the presidency. The 38th president left office on July 7, 2023, after a term that began in 2019. His successor inherits a country shaped by four years of national conservatism and pro-market economic policy.
Bolsonaro’s departure closes a chapter that opened with his 2018 campaign. That campaign promised a break from the political establishment. It delivered on some fronts. His administration pushed economically liberal reforms. It opened state-controlled sectors to private investment. It cut regulations. But it also deepened political divisions that will not vanish with a change of leadership.
The new government faces a Brazil where Bolsonaro’s supporters remain a large, organized bloc. They are not a fringe. They are voters who backed a former army officer who spent 27 years in the Chamber of Deputies. They backed a man who, as a young officer, was arrested and detained for 15 days after writing a magazine article criticizing military pay. That incident in 1986 made him a public figure. It also forged his identity as an outsider willing to challenge institutions.
That identity carried him to the presidency. It also set the tone for a confrontational style of governance. Bolsonaro did not compromise easily. He did not seek broad coalitions. His national conservatism appealed to Brazilians who wanted a stronger hand on security and a return to traditional values. His critics saw an erosion of democratic norms. The result was a polarized electorate that now must find common ground without him in office.
Economic policy will test the new administration. Bolsonaro’s pro-market agenda won praise from business sectors. He reduced the role of the state in some industries. He pursued pension reform. But growth remained uneven. Poverty persisted. The Amazon drew international scrutiny under his watch. Environmental policy became a flashpoint. The new government must decide whether to continue his economic course or shift direction entirely.
Bolsonaro’s military background shaped his approach to national security. He graduated from the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras in 1977. He served as a military officer starting in 1973. Those years gave him a worldview that prioritized order and defense. He appointed active and retired military officers to key civilian posts. That practice changed the culture of ministries and agencies. Reversing it will take time. The military’s expanded role in government is a legacy that outlasts his term.
His early career in Rio de Janeiro politics also left a mark. He was elected to the Municipal Chamber of Rio in 1988. He then spent nearly three decades in the federal Chamber of Deputies representing the state. That long tenure made him a fixture in Brazilian politics. He knew the system from the inside even as he ran against it. His successor must deal with a congress that includes many of his allies and former colleagues.
The question now is what comes next for Bolsonaro himself. He is 68 years old. Born in Glicério, São Paulo, on March 21, 1955, he has spent most of his adult life in public service or politics. He remains a political force. He can still draw crowds. He can still command media attention. He faces legal challenges. Investigations into his administration’s conduct continue. But he has not faded from public life. His presence will shape Brazilian politics for years to come, whether from a position of influence or from the sidelines.
Brazil must now govern without him. The country he leaves behind is more divided, more economically liberalized, and more security-conscious than the one he inherited. His successor must manage those realities. The Bolsonaro era is over. Its consequences are not.
