A day after the confirmation of Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the French election, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was one of the few world leaders to ignore the result, without sending an official message congratulating his European counterpart.
Heads of state and government such as Joe Biden (USA), Boris Johnson (UK), Olaf Scholz (Germany), Vladimir Putin (Russia), Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine), Alberto Fernández (Argentina), Gabriel Boric (Chile) and Xi Jinping (China) sent greetings. The Itamaraty also did not comment.
Bolsonaro and Macron have collected a series of altercations in recent years. In the most recent one, in November, when the Frenchman received Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in Paris, the president summarized the relationship as follows, in an interview with a radio: “Macron was always against us, and he was always hit us on the Amazon issue […] Sounds like a tease, yes.”
As Bolsonaro said at the time, “France is not an example for us, much less your Macron”. The environmental cause was one of the main motivations for the exchanges of criticism — but personal offenses, in this case directed by the Brazilian to the Frenchman’s wife, also entered the circle.
Lula, by the way, was one of the pre-candidates for the Brazilian presidency who congratulated the reelection of the French president. “I am rooting for the success of your government, for the progress of the living conditions of the French people and for the development of the integration of the European Union”, wrote the former president on Twitter.
“I trust that President Macron will contribute to the global challenges of climate change, pandemics, fighting inequality and building peace in Europe.”
The PT, who in the first round had expressed support for the ultra-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, had already endorsed Macron before the vote this Sunday (24), in a series of tweets highlighting that “the future of democracy was at stake in Europe and the world. ” and that it was “fundamental to defeat the extreme right and its message of hate and prejudice”.
The message referred to the rival defeated by the French leader, the far-right Marine Le Pen. This Monday, Lula was followed by Ciro Gomes (PDT), João Doria (PSDB), Simone Tebet (MDB) and Felipe d’Ávila (Novo).
“Seeing the extreme right defeated will always be a reason for joy. Even greater joy will be to see it wither and the democratic clash take place with less polarization and more quality. In Brazil, France and the entire planet! A good second government to Emmanuel Macron,” wrote Cyrus.
D’Ávila pointed out that the result “shows that it is possible for democracy to defeat populism” and hoped that it would serve as an example for Brazil.
“Macron’s victory is the victory of democracy. It is the rejection of extremism. It is the victory of the vote for the hope of a promising future for the French nation. A triumph of balance and commitment to the country’s progress, without radicalism. France and its people,” said Doria.
Tebet wrote: “Save democracy, moderation, dialogue. Brazil needs the same path. In France, democratic forces, united, won. Let us celebrate, but without rest, because the virus that attacks the ideals of freedom and justice of democracy still occupies the lungs and minds of more than 40% of French people”.
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