RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, recalled Thursday (22) that since 2019, in an interview granted to the Argentine press, he predicted the exodus of citizens of that country, as, he said, is happening now in the midst of the pandemic and the economic crisis of the neighboring country.
“You don’t need to have a crystal ball to say it. Whoever makes wrong choices is going to pay the price sooner or later,” Bolsonaro said in his weekly live broadcast on social networks, alluding to press articles published this week about the massive arrival of Argentines in Brazil.
Bolsonaro related that this Thursday, on a visit to Paraná, a Brazilian state bordering Paraguay and Argentina, he met a young Argentine immigrant who started crying when the ruler asked him about the situation in the neighboring country.
“Rivalry between Brazilians and Argentines exists only in soccer. We want prosperous, strong, free, and democratic neighbors. Nevertheless, the choice between one candidate and the other belongs to the Argentine people,” said the leader of the Brazilian right and critic of the current Argentine government under leftist President Alberto Fernandez.
“We are urging Argentina to straighten out, but it’s not easy. It’s a sign that this closure of everything (in the middle of the pandemic) hasn’t worked in Argentina. The country has one of the highest covid death rates per capita,” he said.