Brazil elected on Sunday night far-right, pro-privatization candidate Jair Messias Bolsonaro as the nation’s new president. President-elect Bolsonaro will take office on January 2019.
Bolsonaro won with 55.3 percent of the valid votes, as opposed to leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, who had 44.87 percent of votes.
The far-right candidate takes power after over 12 years of leftist rule under the Workers’ Party, also known as PT.
US president Donald Trump said he had a “very good conversation with the newly elected president of Brazil,” adding that Bolsonaro won the race “by a substantial margin.”
“We agreed that Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military and everything else,” the US president said.
Bolsonaro pledged to protect the local constitution. He also vowed to approve regulations that will make it easier for people to get a gun.
The president-elect also said the reform of the local social security system is also a top priority. He is also seen as a pro-privatization politician, and has invited a neo-liberal economist to lead the country’s ministry of finance.