Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil’s new far right president fires hundreds of ‘left wing’ civil servants

Approximately 300 people to be laid off as the new administration ‘cleans the house’

Brazil’s new president has authorised the dismissal of civil servants who do not share his far-right ideology, it has been reported.

Having taken office this week, Jair Bolsonaro has launched a purge of left-wing government officials with approximately 300 people expected to be dismissed.

Officials who are seen as being supportive of the previous left-wing and centrist governments will be removed to “clean the house”, Mr Bolsonaro’s chief of staff Onyx Lorenzoni said.

“It’s the only way to govern with our ideas, our concepts and to carry out what Brazil’s society decided in its majority,” Mr Lorenzoni said, according to Die Welt.

He added that the vast proportion of those dismissed are on temporary contracts and their removal is necessary to “do away with the Socialist and Communist ideas that during 30 years have led us to the chaos in which we live.”

Mr Bolsonaro was elected to the Brazilian presidency on a far-right platform, where he promised to overhaul many aspects of life in Latin America’s largest nation.

In his first few hours in office he targeted Brazil’s indigenous groups, descendants of slaves and the LGBT community with executive orders.

During his presidential campaign Mr Bolsonaro, a former army captain and longtime congressman, said he would stop making what he calls concessions to native Brazilians and “Quilombolas”, as descendants of former slaves are known.

One of the orders he signed will make it all but impossible for new lands to be identified for indigenous communities.

Areas set aside for Quilombolas are also affected by the decision.

Another order removed the concerns of the LGBT community from consideration by the new human rights ministry.

Agencies contributed to this report