Although our 1985 elections were indirect, they are widely hailed as the beginning of modern Brazil – also known as the New Republic. Tancredo Neves was officially elected, but severe health problems meant that his VP, José Sarney, had to step in on the eve of his inauguration. Unfortunately, Sarney didn’t quite get off to the promising start many had hoped for.
We Brazilians don’t typically reflect on the 1980s with nostalgia or fondness. International interest rates caused our already enormous levels of debt to grow even larger, and prices were readjusted daily – some even several times...
