Brazil's first elected far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics," has been accused of letting Covid-19 rage out of control and allowing the Amazon to burn during his controversial first four years at the helm.

Here is a recap of the defining moments of his presidency so far:

- First far-right president -

On October 28, 2018, Brazil elects Bolsonaro more than three decades after the end of the country's military dictatorship, for which Bolsonaro, a former army captain, is openly nostalgic.

On New Year's Day 2019, Bolsonaro takes office vowing to "restore order" and launches a crusade against crime, corruption and "leftist ideology."

- Pro-gun bill -

Bolsonaro moves quickly to relax gun laws in one of the world's most violent countries, and dramatically widens the definition of self-defense.

The Supreme Court has been asked to rule on whether some of his decrees are constitutional.

- Rules from hospital -

Bolsonaro, who was stabbed on the campaign trail in 2018, undergoes abdominal surgery in January 2019.

During his two-week hospital stay, he continues to run the country from his bed. He is readmitted in mid-2021 to treat after-effects of the attack, which require more surgery. He is admitted to hospital twice in 2022.

- Amazon burns -

In mid-2019, massive fires caused by deforestation scorch whole sections of the Amazon rainforest, provoking a chorus of global criticism for Bolsonaro's policies.

Under Bolsonaro, the destruction of Brazil's portion of the world's biggest rainforest has increased by 75 percent compared to the previous decade.

Bolsonaro has been heavily criticized for undermining the powers of supervisory authorities in the Amazon and for encouraging mining and agriculture in the protected areas.

In January 2021, iconic indigenous chief and environmentalist Raoni Metuktire brings a case against Bolsonaro before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, accusing him of persecuting indigenous groups.

- Pensions and privatization -

Bolsonaro in 2019 increases the retirement age as part of an austerity drive and begins selling off state assets, including the electricity provider, Rio de Janeiro's water company and some 20 ports and airports.

- Denying Covid -

In a series of controversial moves that spark protests, Bolsonaro dismisses the coronavirus in March 2020 as a "little flu," defies World Health Organization recommendations and slams what he calls "scorched earth" lockdown measures and masks.

Brazil has the second-highest Covid death toll in the world with more than 680,000 dead by late August 2022.

Bolsonaro is currently on his fourth health minister of the pandemic.

Bolsonaro is also being investigated by the public prosecutor for allegedly failing to act on an embezzlement tip-off regarding coronavirus vaccine purchases.

A Brazilian Senate committee has asked that he be charged with nine crimes over his management of the Covid-19 pandemic, including "crimes against humanity."

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets to demand Bolsonaro's impeachment for his management of the health crisis.

- String of corruption scandals -

In November 2020, a Rio prosecutor calls for the prosecution of Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator and the president's eldest son, for embezzlement and money laundering. The case was later scrapped by a court.

In June 2021, environment minister Ricardo Salles resigns, suspected of supporting the illegal export of Amazonian timber.

More recently it was the turn of education minister Milton Ribeiro, who fell on his sword over allegations of influence peddling at the behest of Bolsonaro.

- Attacks on electoral system -

In August 2021 the Superior Electoral Court decides to investigate Bolsonaro for his constant and unproven attacks on the legitimacy of the electronic voting system, established in 1996.

The Supreme Court meanwhile orders investigations against Bolsonaro and his entourage, in particular for disseminating disinformation.

- Petrobras crisis -

Between March and May 2022 Bolsonaro fires two presidents of the public oil company Petrobras as well as his energy minister due to disagreements over rises in fuel prices.

On July 13, less than three months from the presidential election, parliament approves a government plan for handouts for the less well-off.

Bolsonaro's Brazil: four 'dystopian' years
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Sept 5, 2022 - In his first four years in office, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro kept true to his to mission to "dismantle" the legacy of previous governments, analysts say, often with harmful fallout for Brazil.

As a result, he is seen by supporters as a man who is true to his word, with a poll this week showing Bolsonaro closing in on rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- the favorite ahead of October presidential elections.

Some 32 percent of would-be voters told pollsters they would stick with 67-year-old Bolsonaro's brand of "God, Homeland and Family," his stated anti-corruption focus and detestation of "communism."

Leftist ex-president Lula, 76, seeking the votes of Brazil's millions of downtrodden, still leads with 45 precent of voter intention, according to pollsters Datafolha.

Despite the many controversies that have surrounded Bolsonaro over the past four years, Lula's lead over him has been shrinking.

"We have to deconstruct many things, undo many things," Bolsonaro said shortly after he was sworn in in January 2019.

He kept his word.

Launching a crusade against "left-wing ideology, "the man who has repeatedly defended Brazil's dictatorship of 1964 to 1985 quickly went about scrapping the culture ministry and cutting funding for environmental protection, science and the arts.

"In the environment, education, health, public security and culture, the results have been catastrophic," Anthony Pereira, a Latin America specialist at the Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, told AFP.

In terms of diplomacy, Bolsonaro adopted an anti-globalization posture, leaving Brazil more isolated on the international stage.

At home, he publicly supported private gun ownership. The number of firearm permits in circulation skyrocketed nearly 500 percent from 2018 to 2022 in a country that already has a major violent crime problem.

Indigenous peoples increasingly became targets under a hostile government, with 305 reported cases of Indigenous land invasion in 2021 -- a 180-percent rise from 2018, according to official data.

The voice of Bolsonaro's Evangelical Christian support base became ever more audible in the school curriculum, with a focus on eliminating "leftist" ideologies and doing away with more open interpretations of gender.

Last but not least, deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon -- crucial to efforts to curtail global warming -- increased 75 percent per year on average despite an international outcry.

Bolsonaro's first four years amounted to "a mandate to destroy what had been built since the return to democracy," said analyst Gaspard Estrada of the Sciences Po university in France.

- 'Spiral into disorder' -

The past two years, in particular, were marked by a climate of growing political polarization and what Kevin Ivers of the DCI Group consulting firm described as an example of a "spiral into disorder led by declining populists."

The coronavirus pandemic deeply scarred trust in Bolsonaro, a fierce anti-vaxxer and proponent of quack remedies against what he called a "little flu."

Brazil's 685,000 Covid-19 deaths have prompted dozens of attempts to impeach Bolsonaro, who faces several criminal investigations, including for "crimes against humanity."

He has made enemies of the Supreme Court and electoral watchdog bodies with unsubstantiated claims of bias and the potential for election fraud.

This was all part of "a deliberate strategy (to) move towards an increasingly autocratic government," said political scientist Geraldo Monteiro.

If anything positive came out of it all, it is that "Brazil's institutions of investigation, accountability and control have functioned to protect democracy to some extent" against Bolsonaro's attacks, said Pereira.

Also on Bolsonaro's watch, there has been a reform of the pension system -- including a longer contribution period -- privatization of airports and ports, and infrastructure expansion, with the construction of roads, bridges, port terminals and irrigation projects.

- Hunger 'does not really exist' -

Recently, his government has been credited with better-than-expected growth figures, but Bolsonaro's Brazil is nevertheless battling double-digit inflation. Nearly 10 million people are unemployed.

During the worst of the pandemic, many commented on Bolsonaro's apparent lack of empathy for the stricken and people who lost loved ones, whom he told to "stop whining."

More recently he has insisted that "hunger does not really exist in Brazil" even as investigations showed 33.1 million of Brazil's 213 million people were suffering severe food shortages.

True to his characterization as the "Trump of the tropics," Bolsonaro does not back down in an argument, does not apologize, and is no stranger to spreading misinformation.

His commitment to combating corruption has also been called into question, with at least two ministers on his watch charged with graft.

When it comes to corruption, "we have moved to a higher level," said Estrada.

"The Brazilian situation is dystopian, we are outside of reality."

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