The most fraught election since re-democratisation ended with extreme-right Jair Bolsonaro on 46,03%, short of a first round victory, to the relief of progressive democratic forces in Brasil and the region as a whole. As occured with Donald Trump’s election in the US and Brexit in the UK, polls uniformly failed to pick up a […]
On September 26, the Federal Supreme Court upheld the exclusion of 3.3 million registered voters who did not attend an special electoral review between before a deadline of May 2018. Most of those cancelled did not register their biometrics, which became mandatory in 1,248 cities, unevenly distributed around the country, and concentrated in the traditionally left voting North East. The move has […]
These are sombre times for Brasil. An election looms, its leading candidate is in jail on politically motivated charges, and has been withdrawn. His distant challenger now sits in first place. He is a fascist and a white supremacist, in a country with well over half of its population of African or Indigenous descent. To his supporters, Jair Bolsonaro’s rape […]
“No room for feelings” say Wall Street insiders as they back another Neofascist to deliver Neoliberalism, at the point of a gun, in the most resource-rich nation on earth. New York Times, July 1993. In an article called “Conversations/Jair Bolsonaro; A Soldier Turned Politician Wants To Give Brazil Back to Army Rule“, Journalist James Brooke […]
Brasil’s Education crisis is not a crisis, it is a project. – Darcy Ribeiro. Across the political spectrum Brazilians will tell you that the principal problem in the country is education, yet who profits most from programmed, weaponised ignorance? Research, science, technology, culture, and education are not ideologies, but approaches and attitudes toward them in […]
By Louis Smith and Brasil Wire editors When Mauricio Macri won the Argentinian general election in 2015 international markets and investors cheered. Rating agency Moodys immediately raised Argentina’s outlook from “stable” to “positive”, JP Morgan lauded the win, dropping risk to 2011 levels. The Financial Times published an article with the typical headline Investors cheer electoral […]
On Thursday 23 August, TV Globo’s flagship Jornal Nacional news programme ran segments following the campaigns of Presidential Candidates Marina Silva (Rede), Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB), Jair Bolsonaro (PSL), and Ciro Gomes (PDT). It later trailed its invitations to these four Presidential candidates onto the programme next week. Missing was leading candidate Lula da Silva, who is now […]
In late 2013 the formation of a new Brazilian Political Party was announced, called literally Partido Novo (New Party). Initially and opportunistically presented as if emerging from the protests that had swept Brasil that June, its libertarian, minimal state messaging was in stark contrast to the demands of those on the streets. These youngsters were depicted as […]
With Lula jailed, his Workers Party vice presidential candidate, and would be substitute, Fernando Haddad is now being bombarded with legal actions from the stronghold of political arch enemies PSDB. In simpler times, São Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad’s flagship policies of implementing an extensive system of cycle lanes and reducing speed limits in the famously […]
Following his performance on Band and RedeTV televised Presidential debates, fascist candidate Jair Bolsonaro has decided to abandon participation in the further seven before Brazilians go to the polls on October 7th. If he does participate in one, it will be the exception, his campaign have said. Bolsonaro has so far performed poorly alongside his competitors, and […]