Time Sep

By Matt Sandy/Brasília

Bolsonaro

photographed in

his oice in June

is riding a wave

of disillusionment

as voters turn

against democracy

World

RIO’S

Meet Jair Bolsonaro.He stands for law and order traditional family values

and nostalgia for an era whena murderous authoritarian regime ran Brazil.

In Octobervoters might make him President. How did Brazil come to this?

ON THE WALL OF JAIR BOLSONARO’S OFFICE IN A MODERN-

ist annex of Brazil’s Congress hang ive faded black-and-

white portraits. They are memoirs of a time many Brazilians

would prefer to forget when military generals ruled the

country from 1964 until 1985 and the cost of insurrection

was kidnap torture and secret execution.

Bolsonaro the de facto front runner for the Brazilian

presidential election that begins on Oct. 7 is the foremost

apologist for that era. He has made a career eulogizing its

abuses and—for a decade after the return of democracy in

1989—calling for its reinstatement. Today he is proud of his

support of the regime he served as an army captain.

Now with Brazil mired in a profound political crisis

that has left many citizens despairing of its leaders the Rio

de Janeiro Congressman—long a marginal igure—says he

alone can solve the problems of the largest nation in Latin

America and be trusted to protect its youthful democracy. A

growing share of Brazilians are willing to take that chance.

It’s hard to overstate the rage and disgust at the estab-

lishment in this country. Since the last election a sprawling

probe into corruption at the state oil giant has led to the

impeachment of one President the jailing of another and the

disintegration of a fragile faith in the political class. Brazil

has sufered its worst recession in history. With public

services crippled by a lack of funds and rampant crime 7 in

10 Brazilians say they have no trust in any political party.

This has allowed Bolsonaro to assume the mantle of

RADICAL

PHOTOGRAPH BY DANIEL MARENCO FOR TIME