Sawt Falasteen - Bolsonaro: the Brazilian far-right's returning 'Messiah'

Now, three months later, the vitriolic and polarizing far-right leader looks more like his old self as he returns home to reenter politics and resume being a thorn in the side of his successor, veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro, 68, appears convinced he can return to power, despite facing legal trouble on various fronts in Brazil, where his 2019-2022 presidency was marked by scandals and crises ranging from his government's widely criticized handling of Covid-19 to his unproven claims of massive fraud in the election system.

Known for a brash, divisive style that earned him the nickname "Tropical Trump," Bolsonaro, an ex-army captain-turned-congressman, surged to national prominence as a presidential candidate in 2018 by playing to voters disgusted with Brazil's economic implosion and the massive "Car Wash" corruption scandal.

When he survived a knife attack during a campaign rally that September, perpetrated by an assailant later declared mentally unfit to stand trial, it only fueled followers' belief in their "Messias," or "Messiah" -- Bolsonaro's middle name.

He went on to win the election easily -- but his aura of invincibility soon faded.

- Tough talker -

A plain-speaking populist famous for his gloves-off style, Bolsonaro has a gift for riling up the right on social media with his attacks on "communism," "gender ideology" and political correctness.

He enjoys the support of the powerful "Bibles, bullets and beef" coalition -- Evangelical Christians, security hardliners and the agribusiness industry.

But he infuriates critics, often drawing accusations of racism, sexism and homophobia.

His popularity eroded as his administration floundered through various crises -- especially the coronavirus pandemic, which has now claimed 700,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.

Bolsonaro mocked face masks, social distancing and vaccines, warning the latter could "turn you into an alligator."

He also faced an international outcry over the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which surged on his watch.

The scandals and controversies continued through the end of his term, and beyond.

After narrowly losing last October's elections, Bolsonaro refused to congratulate Lula or concede defeat, silently brooding in the presidential palace.

He left Brazil for the United States two days from the end of his term, skipping Lula's January 1 inauguration.

A week later, rampaging Bolsonaro supporters invaded the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court in a failed bid to oust Lula.

As Bolsonaro returns to Brasilia on Thursday, he faces an investigation into whether he incited the riot -- one of five Supreme Court investigations that could potentially send him to prison.

He also faces investigations over a scandal that broke this month, over allegations he tried to illegally import and keep millions of dollars' worth of jewelry given to him and his wife by Saudi Arabia in 2019.

And electoral authorities are weighing 16 cases against him, including for spreading disinformation on Brazil's electronic voting system.

If they bar him from running for office, it could take him out of the 2026 presidential race.

- Master of controversy -

Born in 1955 to a Catholic family with Italian roots, Bolsonaro served as an army paratrooper before starting his political career in 1988 as a Rio de Janeiro city councilor.

Openly nostalgic for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, he was elected in 1990 to the lower house of Congress, where he served until becoming president.

He has ignited one explosive controversy after another with his remarks.

In 2011, he told Playboy magazine he would rather his sons be killed in an accident than come out as gay.

In 2014, he said a left-wing lawmaker was "not worth raping" because she was "too ugly."

In August 2020, he threatened to "pound" a journalist who asked him about allegations his wife, Michelle, 41 -- a telegenic Evangelical who has herself been touted as a potential presidential candidate -- received money from a political operative targeted in a corruption investigation.

Twice divorced, Bolsonaro has four sons -- three of them politicians -- and, in what he called a moment of "weakness," a daughter.

W.Mansour--SF-PST