Bolsonaro calls for support to rebuild Brazil
After saying his inauguration oath in Congress, Jair Bolsonaro took office as president of Brazil. He pledged to “maintain, preserve, and follow the Constitution, observe the laws, promote the general good of the Brazilian people, and to sustain the union, the integrity, and the independence of Brazil.” The vice-president, Hamilton Mourão, followed suit.
In his first address as president, which lasted about ten minutes, Bolsonaro briefly outlined structural overhauls and the creation of a virtuous circle of confidence for the economy. He called for the support of both a united Brazil and Congress to rebuild the country. The “enormous challenges,” he said can be overcome with “the wisdom from listening to the voice of the people.”
“I take this solemn moment as a chance to urge Congress members to help me in the mission of restoring and rebuilding our fatherland, definitively setting it free from the yoke of corruption, crime, economic irresponsibility, and ideological submission,” he declared. “We will unite the people, value family, and respect religions and our Judeo-Christian tradition fighting gender ideology, and restoring our values. Brazil will become a country free of ideological shackles,” he added.
After donning his glasses to read his speech, the president greeted the attending authorities and heads of state as well as his family, in particular his wife Michelle Bolsonaro, whom he met—he made a point of saying—in the lower house. Resuming the tone adopted in his campaign, he reiterated his commitment with topics like gun possession, the work of the police and the Armed Forces, new directions for foreign policy, and also mentioned possible changes to public education.
“I reaffirm my commitment to build a society without discrimination or division. From this point onward, we will have as our foundation the sovereign will of the Brazilians who want good schools, capable of preparing their children for the labor market and not for political activism, who dream of the freedom to come and go without falling victims to crime,” he said.
Bolsonaro gave special emphasis to gun possession, which he intends to make legal, as had already been announced, through a presidential decree. “Law-abiding citizens deserve the means to defend themselves, respecting the 2005 referendum, when they went to the polls and chose to have right to self-defense.”
With regards to economy, he said: “We will bring the sign of confidence, the national interest, the free market, and efficiency—confidence that the government will no longer spend more than it collects, and the guarantee that rules, contracts, and property will be respected.”
He added: “We will conduct structuring reforms, which will be essential to the financial health and sustainability of public accounts, transforming the economic scenario and creating new opportunities. We need to build a virtuous circle for the economy, in order to open new markets for the international landscape.”
