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Isac Nóbrega / PR
For the political scientist, Bolsonaro can emerge politically weakened from the pandemic.
Right-wing populism that grew as a political movement and came to power in recent years in different parts of the world has not provided a unique response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Dutch political scientist Cas Mudde, who has studied the extreme right for almost three decades, identifies himself among politicians of this tone from a “stereotyped” approach, denying reality and trying to spread conspiracy theories about the new coronavirus, to actions even more forceful, even if they are late. .
The Brazilian president, for him, does not fit into a specific group. “From what I could see, when I talk about the response to covid-19, or the lack of it, Bolsonaro has a category of his own, as the most ignorant and isolated far-right leader in the world,” says the professor at the University of Georgia. , in the U.S.
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The researcher refers in part to the fact that Bolsonaro deliberately disobeyed the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), when he went to visit commercial establishments and greet supporters on the street, denying the risk that the new coronavirus represent for public health, while, in parallel, he faces opposition within the administration itself, which culminated in disagreements with the now former health ministers, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, and justice, Sergio Moro.
In your last job, The extreme right today (“A Ultradireita Hoje”, unedited in Brazil), released in late 2019, Mudde talks about the latest rise in right-wing populism in the world for unspecialized audiences.
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Personal file
Political scientist Cas Mudde is the author of “The Far Right Today” and has been investigating the extreme right for almost 30 years.
It divides the extreme right into two large groups, the extreme right (“extreme right”), which completely rejects democracy, and the radical right (“radical right”), which still operates within democratic institutions, that opposes the fundamental values of this system, such as the separation of powers and the rights of minorities.
According to him, Bolsonaro is part of the last group.
Read below the interview given by email to BBC News Brazil.
BBC News Brazil – How has the extreme right / radical positioned itself regarding measures to contain the covid-19 pandemic?
Cas Mudde – The different utradireite responses span almost the entire spectrum of possibilities. From completely denying (the risk of the new coronavirus), like President Bolsonaro in Brazil, or minimizing it, like (United States President Donald) Trump, to a late but forceful response, like Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India and Viktor Orbán in Hungary.
There are also those who criticize the situation of the parties for taking measures that they consider too lenient, such as the ultraviolet initials in the Netherlands. (In the country, far-right parties such as the Forum for Democracy (FvD) and Party for Freedom (PVV), which oppose the central coalition led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, have defended a quarantine similar to that adopted by most countries in Europe).
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Evaristo Sa / AFP
Bolsonaro often ignores WHO recommendations
BBC News Brazil – Why do we see such different responses?
Mudde – There are internal and external reasons. Bolsonaro and Trump are generally reluctant to accept what they dislike or think could harm them politically, while Modi and Orbán are professional politicians, who understand that reality can be distorted, but not ignored.
It also makes a difference whether you are in power or in opposition. In opposition, the extreme right must criticize the government’s response, whatever it may be, because that is its model of doing politics.
Finally, there is also the fact that some countries have been more affected by the pandemic, and earlier, than others.
BBC News Brazil – How do you see President Jair Bolsonaro’s response to the disease here in Brazil, and What category are you in?
Mudde – From what I could see, when we talk about the response to covid-19, or the lack of it, Bolsonaro has a category of his own, as the world’s most ignorant and isolated far-right leader.
Even Trump has acknowledged what the disease means, although he believes the threat is not as serious as health officials and Democratic Party politicians say and is concerned about the state of the US economy, a variable he believes will decide the upcoming presidential elections and their possible reelection.
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Pippa Fowles / Downing Street
The British Prime Minister was hospitalized with covid-19 and returned to work on Monday (04/27)
BBC News Brazil – Both the US President and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, resisted at the beginning of the pandemic, but finally recognized its size and the risks it represents for public health. It is possible that, once the number of infected and dead reaches too high a level, it becomes difficult for the extreme right to maintain what it has already called a “stereotypical response”: denial of reality, distraction of the public with theories of conspiracy and a slow and hesitant reaction to the disease?
Mudde – Yes, I think they were forced to recognize the meaning of covid-19 because of the circumstances. In Trump’s case, the deadly outbreak in New York, his hometown, clearly affected him.
So far, Brazil has not been hit with such devastating numbers (as the US), but everything indicates that the peak of the pandemic in the country is there, and this will probably cause a change in Bolsonaro’s position, even If you’re still more skeptical than the rest, at least try to keep up appearances after ignoring the problem for so long.
BBC News Brazil – In a recent article, you stated that, given the different responses given by the extreme right to the pandemic, the new coronavirus probably “would not kill populism”, adding that “some would win, others would lose and others would come out the same ” What factors will determine who will be the winners and losers when this is all over?
Mudde – First and foremost, the number of deaths from covid-19 in each country.
Then, the economic impact caused by social isolation measures.
Third, the narrative that becomes dominant about how the government responded to the pandemic. In some places, rulers will come out as winners, in others, as losers.
Given that many far-right leaders, or coalitions with far-right parties, have given responses similar to those presented by “conventional” politics, I don’t think there is much difference.
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Kevin Dietsch / EPA
For the political scientist, circumstances forced Trump to change his stance towards the new coronavirus.
BBC News Brazil – How can the economic crisis likely impact the current wave of right-wing populism?
Mudde – As I said, this will be part of the political effort when things return to “normal”, when different aspects of politics try to convince voters that their eventual proposals are better, when it comes to both health and economics.
Despite popular belief, far-right parties have not benefited as much from the 2008 financial crisis. (Mudde argues in this article that electoral data for the 28 countries of the European Union in the post-Great Depression elections They do not allow establishing a correlation between the advance of the extreme right and the economic difficulties of the time).
When the focus is primarily on the economy, these parts generally have less to offer, as their main themes are more socio-cultural than socio-economic.
BBC News Brazil – In Brazil, despite opinion polls indicating that the majority of the population is in favor of social isolation measures, Bolsonaro often disobeys recommendations: he goes out on weekends to visit commercial establishments, he greets supporters and endorses protests against quarantine What are the risks of this strategy?
Mudde – Governing for the base (and not for the country) is always risky, but particularly risky if your base is very small.
Trump also rules for the base, but his base is increasingly shaped by the universe of Republican voters. Furthermore, it manages to benefit from the infrastructure of one of the country’s two main parties (the Republican Party).
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Reuters
Hungary’s prime minister is among the right-wing populist leaders who have responded most strongly to the pandemic; on the other hand, it has used the crisis to concentrate powers
Bolsonaro has none. In the end, few voters voted for him. People voted against the PT, and there may be other anti-PT candidates in the upcoming elections, eventually with a larger party infrastructure behind.
BBC News Brazil – Anti-corruption rhetoric was an important pillar of the speech that chose Bolsonaro. One of the symbols of the operation that exposed corruption schemes involving the PT, former judge Sergio Moro, resigned as Minister of Justice and accused the President of trying to politically interfere with the Federal Police. Could an eventual political crisis resulting from this division accommodate the appearance of the “next anti-PT candidate” to which he refers?
Mudde – That. Unlike Trump, Bolsonaro has faced a kind of insurrection within the administration itself, something that weakens him.
BBC News Brazil – The current wave of right-wing populism is marked by denial of science, from climate change to vaccines. Can the pandemic and the efforts of the scientific community to find answers about the disease possibly change this characteristic?
Mudde – No, I don’t think many people think differently after the pandemic.
The stereotype of far-right voters is that they deny climate change and covid-19, but that is not exactly the case.
In general, they accept that they exist, but they deny specific points and, therefore, believe in other solutions (not supported by scientific knowledge).
Since it will take a long time before we can really understand what the most effective response against the new coronavirus is, if we ever know, as it depends on a wide spectrum of factors that varies from country to country, this discussion will primarily be determined for politics instead of science.
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