Brazil’s 2018 election might be country’s most important election to date. The newly elected president could potentially destroy the lives of millions of people.

The presidential election in Brazil came to a close at the end of October. Brazil recently elected a president who says he is “in favor of a dictatorship” and believes “immigrants are the scum of the earth”. This man’s name is Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, a 63 year old former army captain, based his campaign around eliminating crime and corruption. He states that he will change the destiny of Brazil and claims he will not allow the country to go backwards.

In a way Bolsonaro, may be correct. His outspoken views on the LGBT+ community, people of color, women, along with his approval of dictatorships could potentially negatively set Brazil back many years. His views have already affected countless amounts of people and will only continue to do so in the future.

The newly elected president has made several controversial statements in the past varying from “I would not be able to love a gay son, I would rather he die in an accident” and many more.

So, what does this mean for the future of Brazil? Bolsonaro has kept his plans on aiding health care and education systems in Brazil vague but has been very vocal about combining agriculture and environment ministries. This has provoked an outburst of fear as it could call for the possibility of turning the Amazon rainforest into a vast farmland.

The size and diversity of the Amazon rainforest is unmatched. More than half of it is located in Brazil. The rainforest houses more plants and animals than any other rainforest in the world. Millions of people in Brazil depend on this rainforest for things like the elimination of air pollution and transportation. The removal of this rainforest would be detrimental and would play a major role in the increase of global warming.

Brazilians around the nation have already proven to be greatly affected by the election. “I lost count on how many times I cried the day he was elected,” says Maite Goulart, a sixteen year old student in Brazil. “I hope I’m wrong about him and that he turns out to be a good president for Brazil but I really doubt that’s going to happen.”

The future of Brazil is unpredictable, now more than ever before. Bolsonaro’s racist, misogynistic, and homophobic views have already caused an uproar amongst Brazilians with the future only seeming more alienated as time goes by.