Brazil’s 1989 presidential race: the ghosts of elections past

Once upon a time, Brazil was facing political polarization between right and left, with the government discredited due to economic recession and corruption scandals. The presidential elections were disputed by several candidates in a close race, marked by instability. It may sound a lot like 2018 – but in fact, I am describing 1989, the first time that Brazilians chose a president after two decades of dictatorship. Many ghosts of that election still haunt the country and may help us to better understand our present situation.

Thirty years ago, José Sarney was in his last months as president, with the country fighting hyperinflation of about 80 percent per month. His party, PMDB (now MDB), suffered the consequences of economic chaos. Its presidential candidate, Ulysses Guimarães, could not surpass 5 percent of the vote, despite his long political history as leader of the democratic opposition to the dictatorship and House Speaker during the 1987-89 Constitutional Assembly.

The leading candidate to Sarney’s office was Fernando Collor, a political maverick that presented himself as an outsider and anti-corruption crusader. It was believed that he would clean up Brasília, as he was – at least,...