Bolsonaro Already Designs a Conservative Alliance for Latin America

The extreme right, the favorite of Sunday's elections, has made contact with several leaders REGION

RIO DE JANEIRO.- Without waiting for the ballot box confirm in the poll Sunday to the post of President of Brazil, the candidate d & rsquo; Far right Jair Bolsonaro, a big favorite of the elections, advances in the design of his future Foreign policy and, in recent days, already established direct contacts with several regional center-right leaders in order to advance a " liberal and conservative alliance "in Latin America.

The candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) had already In July he tried to organize a "Conservative Summit of the Americas" in Foz de Iguazú, but the initiative to debate the politics, the economy, security and culture. He was frustrated by the lack of support from high profile political figures invited from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, as well as opponents of Cuba and Venezuela. Few people then saw Bolsonaro with any chance of reaching the presidency and, since the campaign of the controversial ex-military MP, has decided to postpone the meeting to December 8, which remains to be confirmed.

Now that he has almost a foot In Plbadto's palace, Bolsonaro began a series of conversations with his future colleagues last week. The first he called last Tuesday was Argentine President Mauricio Macri. In a brief but cordial dialogue for Facetime, the two countries pledged to maintain the "strategic relationship" between Brazil and Argentina, Mercosur's main partners. A few days ago, at a press conference, Bolsonaro had told the nation that he had no plans to leave the trading block, but had pointed out that he had been disfigured by the governments of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, of the Left Labor Party. (PT), his idea was to rid him of his ideological bias and seek to make it more effective.

On Saturday, the Brazilian presidential candidate also communicated with the Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, to whom he strengthened relations between Brazil and Paraguay. Like Bolsonaro, Abdo Benítez has a past as a military paratrooper. Meanwhile, the Brazilian received at his home in Rio de Janeiro the visit of Chilean senators Jacqueline van Rysselberghe and José Durana, Union of Independent Democracy Right (UDI), partner of the government of President Sebastián Piñera. Piñera himself had already made public statements in Spain in which he praised the neoliberal proposals championed by Bolsonaro's economic guru, Paulo Guedes, who, after training at the University of Chicago, was a professor at the University of Chicago. 39, University of Chile during the dictatorship of Augustus. Pinochet According to sources in the campaign, Bolsonaro is expected to maintain in the coming days with Piñera and with Colombian President Iván Duque.

Despite the commitment expressed by Bolsonaro not to withdraw Brazil from Mercosur, the regional bloc has not yet the government's official draft makes no mention of the candidate, which only suggests a reform of the functioning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, in general, a deepening of integration with the Latin American countries "which are free of dictatorships". For his part, Bolsonaro emphasized in his campaigning actions that he intended to align more firmly with Donald Trump's US – which he admires – and referred to the intensification of collaboration and trade with Israel (the idea already exists). imitate Trump and transfer the Brazilian Embbady from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem), South Korea and Italy (he has already exchanged messages via social networks with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, l & # 39; extreme right Matteo Salvini).

While he was a team of Bolsonaro allies in Brasilia already began drawing the guidelines of the new administration in foreign policy. The candidate evaluates some names of people who would take the reins of Itamaraty Palace. It has not been decided yet whether it would be a political appointment or a career diplomat.

Among the "political" options, Senator Ana Amélia Lemos of the Progressive Party, former partner of the presidential candidate of the Social Democrat Democratic Party Geraldo Alckmin, seems very much. Current head of the Senate's external relations commission and known for his hard line against crime, Lemos refused to register his positions against Bolsonaro during the campaign and, after the first round, immediately declared his support to the candidate of the PSL. If elected, she would be the first female chancellor in Brazilian history.

The businessman Luiz Philippe of Orléans e Bragança, elected PSL politician and heir to the Brazilian royal family his end with the proclamation of the republic, in 1889. The Prince, as it is called , has already adopted a more critical position with regard to Mercosur; wishes to review the structure of the bloc and encourages the signing of bilateral free trade agreements, such as the one just concluded negotiations between Brazil and Chile.

Among the diplomatic alternatives, one of the favorites of the Foreign Minister would be Ambbadador Ernesto Fraga Araújo. , current director of the United States and Canada Department at Itamaraty, convinced defender of Bolsonaro and promoter of a "carnal relationship" between Brasilia and Washington.

Ambbadador Luiz Fernando Serra (representative of Brazilian missions in Brazil) would be another professional opportunity. South Korea, Singapore and Ghana) and three women ambbadadors of high level: María Luiza Ribeiro Viotti (currently chief of staff of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres), María Nazareth Farani de Azevedo (Permanent Representative of Brazil to the UN) in Geneva) and María Dulce Silva Barros (Assistant Secretary-General for Communities and Consular and Legal Affairs of Brazil in Itamar) aty).