San Francisco Frontiers - Bolsonaro: Brazil's polarising ex-president mired in legal woes

Bolsonaro, 69, was on Tuesday formally charged over an alleged coup bid to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after losing a 2022 election.

After presiding over four turbulent and divisive years as president, Bolsonaro has been the subject of multiple investigations, from misappropriating Saudi jewels to issuing false Covid-19 vaccine certificates.

However, the first formal charges against him accuse him of leading a "criminal organization" that sought to "disrupt the democratic order" -- an accusation that could result in a lengthy prison sentence.

Bolsonaro, who was in power from 2019-2022, maintains his innocence and alleges he is the victim of "persecution."

While he has been banned from holding public office until 2030 for spreading disinformation during his failed reelection campaign, he remains the undisputed leader of Brazil's powerful right wing.

His supporters view him as a frank everyman unafraid to take on the elite, a former army captain who can still rely on sympathy from segments of the military.

His detractors view him as a dangerous populist with authoritarian tendencies, a strongman with ambitions of unchecked power.

- Trump admirer -

Dubbed the "Tropical Trump" during his time in office, Bolsonaro dreams of following in his hero's footsteps and making a triumphant comeback to office in 2026 elections.

Bolsonaro recently said the US President Donald Trump was "the most important guy in the world."

He recently told CNN Brasil that while he knew it would be "very difficult," he would run again in 2026 "if I can become eligible."

"Are we going to hold elections without opposition here in Brazil? Because without me on the right, nowadays, there is no opposition."

Known for a brash, divisive style, Bolsonaro surged to prominence as a presidential candidate in 2018 by playing to voters disgusted with Brazil's economic implosion and a wide-ranging corruption scandal.

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

He went on to win the 2018 election handily, but his aura of invincibility quickly faded.

- Sore loser -

Known for his gloves-off rhetoric, Bolsonaro became a social media firebrand, riling up his right-wing base with attacks on "communism," "gender ideology," and political correctness."

He infuriated critics, drawing accusations of racism, sexism and homophobia.

His popularity eroded as his administration floundered over Covid-19, which claimed more than 700,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.

Bolsonaro mocked vaccines, even warning the jabs could "turn you into an alligator."

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

The scandals and controversies continued beyond his term.

After narrowly losing the 2022 election, Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida two days from the end of his term, snubbing Lula's inauguration.

A week later, Bolsonaro's rampaging supporters invaded the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court, urging the military to step in and prevent Lula from taking power.

The riots in Brasilia are said by the attorney general's office to be the "final attempt" by Bolsonaro to seize power.

Investigations also showed a plot to assassinate Lula, vice-president Geraldo Alckmin and a high-profile judge with "the approval of" Bolsonaro.

- Nostalgia for dictatorship -

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 from the following year until becoming president in 2019.

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."

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

M.Gonzalez--SFF