Le Pen welcomes Bolsonaro win, most French MPs not so sure

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen wished Jair Bolsonaro good luck after his victory in Brazil's presidential election Sunday. But politicians from France's ruling party and the left-wing opposition warned that freedom and social justice are threatened by his win.

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, far-right lawmaker and presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), celebrate his victory REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Macron calls for respect of democratic principles

President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Bolsonaro on his victory on Monday morning but called for cooperation between the two countries to "respect democratic principles".

"France and Brazil maintain a strategic partnership around common values of the respect and promotion of democratic principles," Macron declared. "It's in respecting these values that France wishes to pursue that cooperation with Brazil."

"Good luck to the new President #Bolsonaro, who should put right the very troubled economic, security and democratic situation in Brazil," Le Pen tweeted.

Brazilian voters have punished the "generalised corruption and terrifying crime rate that prospered under extreme-left governments", she added in another message.

Marine le pen congratulates Bolsanaro

Bonne chance au nouveau Président #Bolsonaro qui devra redresser la situation économique, sécuritaire et démocratique très compromise du #Brésil. MLP https://t.co/HMi9zaKhdb

  Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) 29 octobre 2018

Former minister Eric Woerth, of the mainstream-right Republicans, echoed the latter point in a television interview on Monday morning.

While admitting he did not known much about Bolsonaro's political programme, he put his victory down to "econimic crisis, corruption, incredible violence", which mean that "the people need to feel there is authority at a certain point and often choose an ultra-authority, ultra-right in this case".

Macron supporters warn democracy in danger

Aurore Bergé, a spokeswoman for President Emmanuel Macron's Repulic on the Move (REM) party, had a completely different message.

"No democracy is safe," she tweeted, adding that "democrats and liberals have to come up with results" to counter popular disillusion.

No demcracy is safe, warns REM's Aurore Bergé

Aucune démocratie n'est à l'abri.
Les démocrates, les libéraux ont une obligation de résultat.
Nous en sommes conscients et nous sentons au quotidien cette charge qui nous rappelle pourquoi et contre quoi nous avons été élus. @LaREM_AN #Bresil #Bolsonaro https://t.co/DtMO4oqEMn

  Aurore Bergé (@auroreberge) 28 octobre 2018

Bolsonaro's victory is "another setback for freedom and social justice", REM MP Sacha Houlié tweeted, hailing Macron as the leader of Europe's "progressives" against "nationalists".

Another REM MP, Aurélien Taché, cast some of the blame on the Workers' Party leader of former presidents Lula Inacio da Silva and Dilma Rousseff.

This "very bad news" is "also the failure of a rather populist left-wing ... and I think we have to learn the lessons in Europe, too", he told CNews TV.

Neoliberalism and Hitler

Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure condemned the election of a "xenophobe, homophobe, misogynist, admirer of dictatorship, enemy of the media and fan of fake news".

Night has just fallen, Socialist Olivier Faure declares

Pensées pour tous nos amis brésiliens qui voient l’élection d’un xenophobe, homophobe, mysogine, admirateur de la dictature, ennemi des médias, amateur des fake news... La nuit vient de tomber. Nous serons là pour vous aider à préparer un nouveau jour. #Brésil

  Olivier Faure (@faureolivier) 28 octobre 2018

Eric Coquerel, of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), claimed that Lula, who was found guilty of corruption during the election campaign, was eliminated by "pseudo-justice".

"Neoliberalism preferred Hitler to the popular front," he tweeted in reference to big business backing for the far-right candidate.

Neoliberalism prefers Hitler, LFI's Eric Coquerel says

Après avoir éliminé Lula en utilisant une pseudo justice, le neo-libéralisme a préféré Hitler au Front populaire. Solidaire avec mes camarades brésiliens qui ce soir sont entre tristesse et colère. #resistance #bolsonaro #BrazilElections

  Eric Coquerel (@ericcoquerel) 28 octobre 2018

Green Party leader David Cormand, warned of a "brown shadow that is spreading".

"Liberalism and the national-populists are not ramparts against but trampolines for it," he declared.