Campaign financing is a messy business anywhere. In Brazil, the rules of the game were becoming somewhat stable in 2012, when the Superior Electoral Court ruled to make donations more transparent during the campaign itself – instead of candidates having to present their accounts only after the election. It was a welcome change for everyone. That is, everyone except politicians, who quickly struck back to make campaign donations less transparent.
According to new rules, companies are forbidden to donate to campaigns – but individuals are allowed. The problem is that the...