An article by Beatriz Bissio, Associate Professor in the Post-Graduate Program of Comparative History, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, responded to the first-round setback to President Lula in the Brazilian elections with a call to mobilize for the second round on Nov. 25 and provide clear solutions to the country’s serious problems. Part of the vote for Flávio Bolsonaro, Bissio wrote, was due to “discontent among a certain segment of the electorate over the high cost of living and high rates of violence…. But let us be in no doubt: overcoming this malaise and disappointment with democracy requires pointing to ways out of this bitter daily reality. And to do so, we must show that the culprit we must fight is a system, whose most visible manifestation is economic neoliberalism.”
Bissio, who on a number of occasions has participated in the weekly meetings of the International Peace Coalition, took note of the significant role played by Pentecostal and related evangelical churches in bringing out the vote for Bolsonaro. “Contrary to what the neo-Pentecostal churches preach, there are no ‘individual solutions.’ Nor is failure—which leads to depression and even suicide—an individual matter. ‘Failure’ is the result of an oppressive system that manifests itself both domestically and internationally.”
Investigative journalist Pepe Escobar also pointed to the importance of the Pentecostal churches. “The Americans put a lot of money in this election,” Escobar said, stating that CIA funding of these efforts for decades is now “paying off.” Whereas these layers accounted for about 15% of the Brazilian population in 2000, they have now reached a historic high of 27%, according to Escobar.
Bissio explained that Lula’s platform calls for “the defense of sovereignty, democracy, and the state as a driver of social justice,” whereas Bolsonaro “advocates extreme neoliberalism, including the dismantling of state-provided social protection; uncritical alignment with U.S. interests, particularly Donald Trump’s agenda—which, of course, includes the alliance with Israel and everything it represents; as well as extreme individualism and a devotion (genuine or cynical?) to the values preached by neo-Pentecostal churches regarding customs and values.”
Bissio concluded: “The future of all of Latin America—and South America in particular—will depend to a large extent on the final election results in Brazil, given Brazil’s demographic, economic, and political weight… So it’s up to us to roll up our sleeves, take to the streets, and talk to those who abstained from voting—33 million Brazilians!"—more than 21% of the electorate
