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https://theconversation.com/brazil-how-populist-politicians-use-religion-to-help-them-win-187742>
"This autumn’s Brazilian presidential election offers a glimpse of how 21st
century populist leaders are using religion to enthuse their support base. The
incumbent, right-wing firebrand Jair Bolsonaro, rose to power in 2018 with
support from evangelical Christian voters who warmed to his social
conservatism.
And while some polls suggest this support may have eroded since, Bolsonaro
continues to court evangelical support. He has framed the election as a battle
between God-fearing “good” and opposition “evil”.
On August 13 2022, he was being prayed over at the March for Jesus rally in Rio
de Janeiro among thousands of his evangelical supporters. Opposition candidate
and former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is attempting to win those votes
back by invoking religious language, reflecting how Bolsonaro has re-shaped the
political landscape.
This is partly a matter of numbers – evangelical Protestants make up around a
third of Brazil’s population (estimated at around 70 million people) – but it’s
also a matter of political style.
Bolsonaro reaches out to the conservative evangelical voter because he needs
their vote, but also because their language and values align well with his
populist message. Central to Bolsonaro’s politics is a conservative pro-family
agenda that includes negative views of homosexuality and abortion.
Populist politicians adopt a distinct style. They are predominantly
nationalist, claiming to represent the true will of the people, and yet do so
by dividing society into binary camps: who belongs and who does not.
But this alignment of right-wing populism to a Christian base is not just
restricted to Brazil. We see it in the bullish authoritarianism of leaders such
as former US president Donald Trump, French far right leader Marine le Pen and
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
