Is Brazilian democracy stronger than we thought?
In 2018, Brazil chose Jair Bolsonaro as its president, a far-right politician notorious for praising the country’s military dictatorship period (1964-1985). In the years that followed, he unsurprisingly and systematically acted against the main pillars of Brazilian democracy.
Mr. Bolsonaro used the Armed Forces to coerce democratic institutions, fueled violence against the professional press, issued decrees to change policies without Congress’ approval, worked hard to undermine the credibility of the electoral system — besides taking several other pages out of the typical autocratization manual.
The Federal Police are investigating evidence that he may have even captured the Brazilian Intelligence Agency to intimidate political opponents and protect his family from investigations.
But, at the end of the day, “Why Hasn’t Brazilian Democracy Died?” This is the question asked by political science professors Carlos Pereira and Marcus André Melo, in their new book recently published by Companhia das Letras.
In this episode of the To Be Read book club, author Carlos Pereira analyzes the reasons for that, highlighting how the Brazilian multiparty system was crucial to containing the chief of the Executive branch.
In Mr. Pereira’s view, in fact, institutional factors ensured that the former president’s attacks never represented a credible threat.
This is an assessment that is far from being a consensus among political analysts. According to Mr. Pereira, however, acknowledging the strength of institutions — as opposed to demobilizing civil society actors — should serve as an incentive for them to continue resisting authoritarian rulers.
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