Brazil elections: an avoidable catastrophe

[Judi Lynn]

FRANCESC BADIA I DALMASES 3 October 2018
Whoever passes through to the second round, they must recognise that to face up to authoritarianism, all democrats must create a common front to close the path towards catastrophe.


The future of democracy in Brazil is in the hands of an emotionally charged decision. Above all, it will be an emotional state of mind what will determine the results of the elections this month. Brazilians that find themselves stuck between shame, fear, and disappointment, will find their ability to make decisions negatively affected, making the possibility of voting with reason increasingly less likely.

For some time now international politics has shifted towards the emotional, leaving to one side reasonable and rational arguments. Throughout this process populism has arisen, associating itself with both left and right and leading politics towards a space in which the old battles between liberals and conservatives has broken down. Polarisation, misinformation, and anti-establishment principles are increasingly present, and positions of power are being filled by those who preach these values.

In this dynamic, the construction of the enemy, the “us” versus the “them”, the need of a strong man type figure that can bring order to the chaos and an end to corruption, decadence and violence is a global trend: Putin, Xi-Jingping, Trump, Erdogan, Modri, Duterte… the list is long, and it affects almost every great power.

The discourse of simple solutions to complex problems in Europe has allowed for nationalistic populisms to make their mark on the electorate. The anti-immigration and anti-semitic waves of Orban in Hungary, Brexit in the UK, the miracle cure of independence in Catalunya, or the anti-European ideologies of the Italian Lega Nord and the 5 Estelle movement.

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