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January 2, 2019

Brazil Swears In Far-Right President Jair Bolsonaro
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In Brazil, far-right former Army Captain Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as
Brazil's 42nd president on New Year's Day, declaring "liberation from
socialism" and promising to restore law and order to Brazilian society.

President Jair Bolsonaro: "It's also urgent that we put an end to this
ideology of defending the criminals and criminalizing the police. This
has brought about an increase in violence in Brazil and in the power of
organized crime, taking the lives of those who are innocent, destroying
families and bringing insecurity everywhere. … We are going to restore
order in this country. We are aware of this awesome responsibility and
the challenges that we will face. We know where we want to go and the
potential that Brazil has."

Many fear Brazil's young democracy is now at risk. For years Bolsonaro
has praised Brazil's former military dictatorship, while speaking in
favor of torture and threatening to destroy, imprison or banish his
political opponents.


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