
Brazil

Brazil is a mid-performing democracy that has experienced significant declines over the past five years in Clean Elections, Civil Liberties, Gender Equality and Personal Integrity and Security. These drops have been due to a number of factors, including the use of disinformation campaigns in electoral processes, attacks on freedom of expression, pervasive violence against women and ethnic minorities, and the lack of accountability for police abuse. Brazil boasts one of the world’s largest economies – driven in particular by exports of soybeans, iron ore, and petroleum, as well as raw sugar, beef, poultry, and sulfate chemical wood pulp.
Following the military dictatorship that lasted from 1964 to 1985, the early years of re-democratization were marked by hyperinflation, economic instability, social inequality, and food insecurity. While these issues were mitigated to varying degrees between 1994 and 2019, many re-emerged as a result of ongoing corruption scandals, the rise of far-right politics, the struggle to adequately respond to COVID-19 and a marked increase in political polarization. While millions of Brazilians were lifted from poverty in the early 2000s, inequality rates in the country remain amongst the highest in the region. In 2013, mass protests against increases in the cost of public transportation triggered a broader movement against the then-governing party. Compounding public discontent over the next several years were serious corruption scandals, illegal campaign financing, lack of political dialogue and the rise of anti-establishment far-right discourse. These events marked the following years and electoral processes, and they drive the climate of polarization that continues in politics to this day. In some cases, this has resulted in acts of violence in the context of elections.
Brazil is a multicultural and multi-racial country. The social dynamics between the different races that make up Brazil’s demography, which are rooted in a history of slavery and the marginalization of Afro Brazilians and Indigenous Peoples, form a point of contention and intersect with economic, social and gender inequality. Around 0.4 per cent of the Brazilian population are Indigenous Peoples, representing 305 ethnic groups, according to data from the 2010 census. It is also the South American country with the greatest number of Indigenous Peoples living in isolation. The expansion of soybean and beef production and budget cuts to oversight agencies in the past years have contributed to an acceleration of deforestation in the Amazon and negatively impacted the welfare of Indigenous communities. Another cleavage is the relevance of religiosity in the country, especially the influence of evangelical beliefs in several political parties. This has an impact on the agenda setting and definition of issues in parties, which in turn can be decisive in government coalitions.
Inequality also intersects with race. White Brazilians, who make up less than half of the population, hold almost twice as much wealth as non-whites. Three-quarters of people living below the poverty line are non-whites. Although non-whites are more than half of the population, only one quarter of Congress members are Black or pardos (“mixed”). Brazil is one of the most violent countries on the continent, and police brutality is a growing problem. Violence against women is pervasive and the rates of femicide are high.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch the development of Free Political Parties, Elected Government and Clean Elections, especially in light of the weakened political center, growing polarization between left and right-wing parties and the increasingly frequent attacks on the credibility of the electoral system. Moreover, it will be critical to observe how rising polarization impacts not only radicalization and violence, but also political engagement of underrepresented social groups.
Monthly Event Reports
August 2023 | 45 people killed in the context of police operations in Brazil
A police operation carried out in multiple regions of the country, reportedly in response to a police officer’s murder, resulted in at least 45 people killed. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed its concern over the operation and the rise in the number of killings by police of men of African descent. Local activists denounced the operation as a retaliatory massacre. Among those living where raids took place, there have been complaints of threats and intimidation by police and acts of torture.
June 2023 | Former President Bolsonaro banned from public office for 8 years
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Tribunal Supremo Eleitoral) resolved, in a five to two decision, to ban former president Bolsonaro for eight years from running for office after determining he was guilty of abuse of power during last year’s elections. The ban would be instated retroactively from October 2022 and would bar Bolsonaro from running in the 2026 presidential race. In 2030 he would once again be eligible to run for public office. The Tribunal’s decision was based on a speech given by Bolsonaro before last year’s presidential elections during which, with an audience of diplomatic members, he alleged that electronic voting machines in Brazil were susceptible to being hacked. No evidence of voting machine tampering was provided in support of the allegations. The two dissenting judges considered Bolsonaro’s statement was protected by freedom of expression. Bolsonaro’s lawyers have stated they will appeal this decision.
July 2023 | Civilian use of guns restricted by decree
Reversing policy of the Bolsonaro administration, which relaxed the rules surrounding gun ownership, Lula da Silva’s government issued a decree restricting the ownership and use of guns by civilians on 21 July. The number and type of guns and ammunition that civilians can own has been reduced, and now requires supporting documentation to prove that gun ownership is needed for personal safety. The time frame for gun permits has also been reduced to three to five years (down from ten). Civilians who own weapons and ammunition that are now banned will be able to sell them, or they may be confiscated by federal police. Oversight of gun ownership has shifted from the military to federal police.
April 2023 | Six new Indigenous territories are legally recognized
President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva announced the legal recognition of six new Indigenous territories. This recognition entails special protection of the peoples that inhabit the territories. It also aims to put an end to illegal mining and other resource exploitation activities that have contributed to the deteriorating health and well-being of certain Indigenous communities. This decision by President Da Silva reverses the policy of former President Bolsonaro, who considered that Indigenous communities had been granted too much land, and who had authorized and encouraged mining even in recognized territories.
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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
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