Bolsonaro victory heralds new era for Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro has been elected the 38th president of Brazil, comfortably defeating the candidate of the left-wing Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), Fernando Haddad, with 55.13% of the valid vote in the run-off on 28 October. He will take office on 1 January 2019. The culmination of a divisive campaign, Bolsonaro’s victory marks not only a swing to the Right after four consecutive PT victories, but also the end of the hegemony of Brazil’s traditional political parties. His supporters hope that he will usher in a new Brazil, free from crime and corruption, while his opponents fear that his election marks a step backwards to the authoritarian ways of past military rule.