Bolsonaro and the political strategy of polarization: From the campaign to the presidency

Abstract

During the 2018 presidential campaign, candidate Jair Bolsonaro encouraged and benefited from an "antipetista wave" existing in the electorate, based on accusations of corruption against the governments of Lula and Dilma Rousseff (2003-2016). This allowed him to obtain fundamental support in his run for the presidency. The candidate fostered a division between those who supported the PT governments and their detractors to feed his candidacy, capitalizing on antipetismo. His campaign was building dichotomous representations to maintain his unified conservative base. It raised divisive issues in different spheres of public debate, such as the place of women in society, the fear about the transfer to Brazil of the Venezuelan crisis in the case of a PT triumph and the problems of public security, which were central for the success of your campaign strategy.
The use of a stereotypical representation of the #Elenao mobilizations that took place in September 2018, was key in his polarization strategy to run in defense of a conservative Brazil, respectful of traditions and hierarchies. The originality of the article lies in showing how polarization, already present in the years of Lula and Rousseff, goes from a cleavage based on an economic nomination (rich-poor) to a division of a moral nature (conservative-leftist).