Jair Messias Bolsonaro (born 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019.

He served in the country's Chamber of Deputies, representing the state of Rio de Janeiro (1991-2018). He was elected president as a member of the conservative Social Liberal Party, before leaving them to found the party Alliance for Brazil.

Bolsonaro was born in the small town of Glicério, in the northwest area of the state of São Paulo. He graduated from the Agulhas Negras Military Academy in 1977.

He became known to the public in 1986, when he wrote an article for Veja magazine criticizing low wages for military officers, after which he was arrested and detained for fifteen days. One year later, he was accused by the same magazine of planning to plant bombs in military units, which he denied.

He joined the reserve army in 1988 with the rank of captain and ran for the Rio de Janeiro City Council. Bolsonaro was elected in 1990 to the lower chamber of Congress and was subsequently re-elected six times.

During his 27-year tenure as a congressman, he became known for his strong support of national conservatism. He is a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and homosexuality, abortion, affirmative action, and drug liberalization.

A polarizing and controversial politician, his views and comments, which have been described as far-right and populist in nature, have drawn both praise and criticism in Brazil.

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