Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Bolsonaro calls for an end of corruption in his inauguration speech

Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has used his inaugural speech to promise to build a "society without discrimination or division".

The former army captain told Congress he wanted a "national pact" to free Brazil of corruption, crime and economic mismanagement.

In a swipe at the left, he vowed to free Brazil of "ideology".

He is seen as a deeply divisive figure whose racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks have angered many.

Mr Bolsonaro, 63, won the presidential election by a wide margin against Fernando Haddad of the left-wing Workers' Party on 28 October.

He was propelled to victory by campaign promises to curb Brazil's rampant corruption and crime.

US President Donald Trump commended him for his speech on Tuesday, saying the US was "with" him.

Among the foreign guests at the inauguration were US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

'Bromance with Trump'

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Bolsonaro arrived at Congress with his wife Michelle

Analysis by Katy Watson, BBC News, Brasilia

Jair Bolsonaro may have struck a more presidential tone in today's speeches compared with the fiery rhetoric used during his campaign, but he made it clear his values remained the same - family, conservatism and God.

And despite having won the elections, he's not given up his criticism of Brazil's leftist politics that he feels have ruined the country. The rhetoric he used was familiar - that from today Brazilians are now freed from socialism - and it strikes a chord with millions fed up with corruption scandals that have embroiled Brazilian politics in recent years.

With Donald Trump and the so-called "Trump of the Tropics" exchanging tweets about their mutual support for each other and commitment to work together, the bromance with one of the world's most powerful presidents has begun. It's a relationship that everyone will be watching very closely.

What exactly did Bolsonaro promise?

"Brazil will return to being a country free of ideological constrictions," he told Congress in the capital, Brasilia.

"I will divide power in a progressive, conscientious and responsible way."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Guards were on duty in ceremonial dress at the Congress for the inauguration

His administration, he said, was "committed to those Brazilians who want good schools to prepare their kids for the job market and not for political militancy".

Pledging support for the military and police, he said: "The national motto is order and progress. No society can develop without respecting these."

On the economy, he promised to "create a new virtuous cycle to open markets" and "carry out important structural reforms" to tackle the public deficit.

In an apparent reference to gun control, he said: "Good citizens deserve the means to defend themselves." On Saturday, he tweeted that he would issue a decree to allow citizens who did not have a criminal record to own guns.

Image copyright EPA Image caption A giant figure of Mr Bolsonaro was erected for the inauguration in Brasilia

After being sworn in in front of Congress, Mr Bolsonaro went on to the Planalto Palace where the outgoing President, Michel Temer, handed over the presidential sash.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Jair Bolsonaro gestures after receiving the presidential sash

Speaking afterwards, he said Brazil would "start to free itself of socialism" and "political correctness".

On a day filled with pageant, he travelled around Brasilia in an open-top vintage Rolls Royce escorted by cavalry on white horses and jogging security guards, as crowds of supporters cheered.

"I came here just for the inauguration," supporter Antonio Vendramin told AFP.

"I made a lot of money and saved money to buy the ticket, to be able to buy the plane ticket because it's a long way to come by car but we managed to make it all the way to be here on this day for President Bolsonaro's inauguration. We're full of pride."

Who is Bolsonaro?

Despite portraying himself as a political outsider during his campaign, Mr Bolsonaro served seven terms in Brazil's lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, before being elected president.

He has been a member of several political parties but is currently in the Social Liberal Party (PSL), which has grown from having a tiny presence in Congress to becoming the party with the second largest number of deputies in the lower house.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Firefighters kept Bolsonaro followers cool outside the presidential palace in Brasilia

Before becoming a politician, Mr Bolsonaro served in Brazil's military, where he was a paratrooper and rose to the rank of captain.

During the election race in September, he was stabbed at a rally and seriously injured, taking more than a month to recover.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Bolsonaro has chosen ex-military officers for many key government posts

During his time as a lawmaker, Mr Bolsonaro represented the interests of the armed forces and since his election he has named seven former military men to head key ministries.

He has also expressed nostalgia for the time when Brazil was under military rule and the hard-line policies enforced during the period, which saw thousands jailed and tortured.

Why did his election cause such a stir?

Brazil only returned to democracy in 1985 after more than 20 years under military rule, and some critics see his election as a threat to the country's democracy.

Previous comments he has made endorsing the use of torture and disparaging women, gay people and Afro-Brazilians have left many Brazilians worried.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why are same-sex couples in Brazil rushing to get married?

The election campaign which brought him to power has left the country deeply divided into those who see him as the man to put Brazil on to the right track after massive corruption scandals, and those who fear he could lead Brazil into an authoritarian future.

What are his key policies?

Mr Bolsonaro's promise to drive down crime and stamp out corruption comes after scores of top businessmen and high-ranking politicians, including former left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, were jailed.

Days after being elected, he picked Brazil's most famous anti-corruption judge, Sergio Moro, as his minister of justice.

Mr Moro was the key force behind the massive "Car Wash" corruption investigation.

There was concern among environmentalists when Mr Bolsonaro suggested during the election campaign that the ministry of agriculture might be merged with that of the environment.

But he has backtracked on that and also revoked a pledge to quit the Paris climate accord, which sets targets for cutting greenhouse gases.

How will Brazil's international relations be affected?

Mr Bolsonaro has been very clear about who he considers to be his international allies and those he views as foes.

Mr Trump is "an example" to him, and Mr Bolsonaro has promised to follow the US lead and relocate Brazil's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Bolsonaro visited a synagogue with Benjamin Netanyahu in Rio

Mr Bolsonaro has accused Cuba of holding back some of the salaries paid to Cuban doctors working in Brazil, prompting Cuba to pull out its doctors in retaliation.</s>Jair Bolsonaro, Michelle Bolsonaro, Hamilton Mourao and Paula Mourao are welcomed by Michel Temer (front left) and his wife, Marcela Temer, at the Planalto after the swearing-in ceremony at the National Congress</s>The inauguration of former army Captain turned congressman Jair Bolsonaro was held today in Brazil; delivering the first nationalist outlook to the office of the presidency in decades.

President Jair Bolsonaro and First-Lady of Brazil Michelle Bolsonaro both delivered speeches during the inauguration ceremony, with the first lady also using sign language (her father is deaf).

President Bolsonaro now takes the reins of Latin America’s largest and most populous nation after decades of corruption carried out by Brazil’s far-left politicians. Many will remember a failed assassination attempt on candidate Bolsonaro by opposition from the socialist workers party only a few weeks before the election. Bolsonaro has vowed to end business-as-usual governing which led to rampant corruption.

Many people within the far-left ridiculed Bolsonaro while he was a congressman and stated his Brazil-First outlook was too nationalistic amid a world now driven by global influence. The marginalization by those voices failed and now President Bolsonaro will likely chart a different course. (Sound familiar?)

There are many similarities in national outlook between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Bolsonaro especially regarding economics and trade. Additionally, following a similar decision by President Trump, Brazil will now move their Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

Overall the U.S. Brazil relationship could make for an interesting alignment in South/Latin America; this relationship will become particularly important around the geopolitical strategy and influence of China in the region.

The 63-year-old President campaigned heavily on an anti-corruption, Brazil-first, nationalist agenda and promised to support gun ownership rights for law-abiding people within Brazil. Both Trump and Bolsonaro are opposed by the same groups.</s>RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s attorney general has accused President Michele Temer of sitting at the center of “an institutionalized system of corruption” and has asked the courts to charge him with crimes as…

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s attorney general has accused President Michele Temer of sitting at the center of “an institutionalized system of corruption” and has asked the courts to charge him with crimes as soon as he leaves office at the year’s end.

Attorney General Raquel Dodge filed a request late Wednesday asking the Supreme Court to assign the case to a lower court after Temer loses his limited protections from prosecution.

“The evidence we have collected in our investigations points to an ongoing pernicious scheme based on trading favors, with Michele Temer at the center creating an institutionalized system of corruption,” Dodge said.

The case focused on Grupo Rodrimar, a company accused of funneling bribes through companies associated with the president. Prosecutors say one of the companies, Argeplan, paid for renovations of Temer’s residence in 2000 and again for his daughter Maristela’s house in 2014. Argeplan paid contractors in cash much of the $330,000 spent on Maristela’s home according to Dodge.

Temer issued a statement denying the allegations, saying he would “establish through the courts that there was no irregularity in my actions involving the ports and there were no improper benefits to any company.”

The petition listed five other individuals that the attorney general said took part in the scheme and asked that they be fined US$8.5 million.

Brazilian law protects sitting presidents against prosecutions by requiring a vote of Congress to authorize charges against a sitting president are pursued. On two earlier occasions, lawmakers refused to authorize prosecution of Temer on other cases.

But with Temer set to leave office in less than two weeks, Dodge asked the Supreme Court to assign the complaint to a lower court as of Jan. 1, the first day of the new government. There is also a chance prosecutors could revive the earlier attempts at prosecution that were blocked by Congress.

Temer assumed Brazil’s presidential office in August 2016 after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed on charges of criminal, administrative misconduct.

The incoming administration also ran into corruption controversies even before taking office.

A Sao Paulo court this week convicted President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s nominee for environment minister of fraud when he served as Sao Paulo state’s environment minister between 2016 and 2018.

The court ruling published Wednesday said he modified an environmental protection plan for the Tiete River area to favor mining interests.

The court suspended his political rights for three years and imposed a fine, though it can be appealed.

Salles told the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper that he had received no personal benefit from modifying the decree, saying “There was no damage and there was nothing serious.”

Scores of senior Brazilian businesspeople and politicians, including former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, have been arrested in a series of sweeping investigations into bribery and other corruption.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>After being sworn in in front of the Congress, Bolsonaro went on to the Planalto Palace where the outgoing President, Michel Temer, handed over the presidential sash.</s>Brazil: Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro has been sworn in as Brazil`s new President and he promised to build a "society without discrimination or division". The 63-year-old former army captain in his inaugural speech on Tuesday talked about a "national pact" to free Brazil of corruption, crime and economic mismanagement, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

After being sworn in front of the Congress, Bolsonaro went on to the Planalto Palace where the outgoing President, Michel Temer, handed over the presidential sash. Speaking afterwards, he said Brazil would "start to free itself of socialism" and "political correctness".

US President Donald Trump commended him for his speech, saying the US was "with" him. Among the foreign guests at the inauguration were US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Bolsonaro won the presidential election by a wide margin against Fernando Haddad of the left-wing Workers Party on October 28, 2018. Despite portraying himself as a political outsider during his campaign, Bolsonaro served seven terms in Brazil`s lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, before being elected President. He has been a member of several political parties but is currently in the Social Liberal Party.</s>President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, his sincere greetings and best wishes to President Jair Bolsonaro, on the occasion of his Presidential inauguration on 1 January 2019, as he assumes his role and official duties as the 38th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, his sincere greetings and best wishes to President Jair B...



Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...</s>President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed on behalf of the government and people of South Africa, his sincere greetings and best wishes to the new President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro was inaugurated on 1 January 2019 and takes office as the 38th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

“It is President Ramaphosa’s firm belief that this occasion will mark the beginning of a revitalised, excellent and strategic relations that Brazil and South Africa enjoy,” said Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko.

The special bond between the two nations has continued to grow over many years and through many shared commitments and common experiences, more particularly the concerted and continuous efforts to comprehensively deepen South-South Cooperation within the ambit of not only India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA), but also the BRICS formation.

“The government and the people of South Africa are ready to expand on the already fruitful bilateral relations aimed at advancing cooperation in all areas and to further expand on the relationship between the two fraternal countries to achieve common objectives.

“The South African government looks forward to working together with the new government of the Federative Republic of Brazil under the leadership of President Jair Bolsonaro,” said Diko. – SAnews.gov.za</s>Bolsonaro sworn in as Brazil’s new president

BRASÍLIA: Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician vowing a crackdown on crime and corruption, was sworn in Tuesday as Brazil's new president in front of Congress in Brasilia.

The former paratrooper and deputy for the past 27 years pledged to uphold the constitution as he embarked on his four-year mandate at the helm of Latin America's biggest economy. Brazil entered a new chapter in its history, embracing a far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, whose determination to break with decades of centrist rule has raised both hopes and fears.

The former paratrooper and longtime lawmaker was starting his four-year mandate on January 1 as required by the constitution, after a night of New Year's celebrations across the country.

He was taking office with a sky-high approval rating, fueled by public expectations that he will be a new broom sweeping away chronic crime and corruption, and boosting an economy still limping after a record recession.

"I will bring in politics completely different from that which brought corruption and inefficiency to Brazil," he said late Monday in an interview with Record TV.

The 63-year-old comfortably won an October election against Fernando Haddad, a candidate from the leftwing Workers Party that was in power between 2003 and 2016 but is now reviled after a series of graft scandals.

The Workers Party icon, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is serving prison time for corruption. And his chosen successor Dilma Rousseff was impeached for cooking the government's books.

In a ceremony marked by pomp and high security, Bolsonaro will formally take over from center-right Michel Temer, who succeeded Rousseff but made little headway with needed fiscal reform and ended up Brazil's most unpopular leader ever.

Bolsonaro voters hope their man will do better.

He has promised to govern for all of the country's 210 million Brazilians, and campaigned on vows to eradicate graft, crack down on crime, open up Brazil's protectionist economy to the free market, and put business interests ahead of environmental protection.

In his interview, he said "we will debureaucratize to the maximum possible" and "clean out" the government so its "weight" is cut back. But there has been no sign of him dropping the bluff, shoot-from-the-lip style that has earned him comparisons with US President Donald Trump, whom he admires.</s>Brazil’s new president Jair Bolsonaro announced he would immediately ease gun laws and fight “the Marxist trash” he says is being taught in Brazil’s classrooms.

The former paratrooper plans to make it easier for adults over 25 to own firearms as long as they don’t have a criminal record.

“One of the goals to take Brazil from the worst positions in the world’s education rankings is to combat the Marxist trash that has settled in educational institutions,” he tweeted, translated from Portuguese. “Together with the Minister of Education and others involved we will evolve into forming citizens and no more political militants.”

Bolsonaro wants more law-abiding gun owners to discourage crime in Brazil, which has seen nearly 64,000 murders last year alone.

“The announcements underlined Bolsonaro’s desire to break with decades of center-left rule in Brazil, as he prepares to take over from President Michel Temer, a center-right caretaker figure who served the past two years and finished with historic unpopularity,” reported France24.
Jair Bolsonaro is inaugurated as the 38th president of Brazil, succeeding Michel Temer.