The Brazil that emerges from the ballot boxes
Article in Correio Braziliense, on 08/10/2018, on the Brazilian political scenario after the first round of that year's elections.
Translated from the original.
THE BRAZIL THAT EMERGES FROM THE BALLOT BOXES
By Fábio Medina Osório
Lawyer, Former Minister of the Office of the Attorney General of the Union
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The victory of Jair Bolsonaro in the first round, although not definitive, and of novelties in the electoral scene, such as former federal judge Wilson Witzel in Rio de Janeiro, demonstrate the Brazilian society’s yearning for change.
The 2018 elections raise doubts about the methodology of the polling institutes. There were already failures in 2014. This year, however, the errors were larger. There are no excuses. The statistics should be improved. The errors exceeded tolerable margins. It is necessary to rethink a system of more consistent controls and greater transparency. Are the phone calls recorded? Are all the interviews filmed?
A general assessment reveals a new scenario in Brazil. And it seems to me that this context is positive, since it reflects society’s feelings of change in tune with the international agenda of economic liberalism, combating violent crime and repudiating corruption.
The elections demonstrated the solidity of Brazilian democracy, contradicting the discourse of those who tried to tarnish Brazil's image abroad, calling our country coup-prone. Impeachment proceedings are normal and even common in any contemporary democracy, as they reflect the realization of the republican principle. After going through the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff, we arrived at the elections in absolute institutional normality.
The exchange of accusations between candidates is part of an electoral process. Reciprocal criticism always happens. It remains to assess the balance of this game.
One of the suspicions cast against Bolsonaro was the label of dictator or enemy of democracy. This attack did not take hold, since his candidacy proceeded within the electoral system and in the course of the rules of the democratic game.
They picked out isolated remarks by the candidate, authentic “bravado,” uttered out of context, in an attempt to deconstruct his image. Had he been a racist, or truly a “criminal” in matters of gender, he would already have been convicted in some proceeding for discrimination or prejudice in the criminal sphere.
It was even raised, mistakenly, that members of the Armed Forces cannot hold civilian functions or run for public office. Whoever maintains such a thesis is unfamiliar with the 1988 Constitution. Indeed, the Armed Forces have extremely qualified personnel to contribute in the most diverse civilian areas of government.
It should be said that the Brazilian judiciary and Public Prosecution Service also have people who can contribute to Brazil's growth. And likewise businesspeople, and other officials from the most diverse careers, should take part in public life. That is, we are living in new times. Who knows whether citizens will not begin to participate more actively in national political life?
Bolsonaro's discourse embraced the right agendas of combating corruption and economic liberalism, in addition to strengthening public security. His language, like that of his allies, spread across social media. Perhaps his greatest asset was authenticity in contact with the voter. Spontaneity in social relations, in these new means of communication, replaces archaic languages of electoral propaganda.
In this same context, an exhaustion of the governing model of those targeted by Operation Car Wash was observed. The effects of this anti-corruption operation – one of the largest in the world – in the electoral arena cannot be underestimated. Brazilian society realized how much corruption affects public policies essential to health, education, public security, the tourism industry and the eradication of poverty.
One of the elements that most deteriorates contemporary democracies is corruption and poor public management. Bolsonaro and new politicians such as Wilson Witzel bring hope to the Brazilian people and arrive with enormous challenges ahead in the runoff, when they will face powerful forces grouped in alliances.
The second round of the presidential elections imposes a new political logic, but most of Brazilian society has already expressed its thinking on the anti-corruption agenda. Politicians such as Álvaro Dias, Geraldo Alckmin, Henrique Meirelles, João Amoêdo, and Marina Silva, who care about fighting corruption, will certainly need to adopt a clear position before their voters. Ambiguity at this historic juncture will be worrying. And this agenda favors change.