How the coronavirus affected Brazil’s 2020 election

Upon registering a candidacy for public office, every Brazilian politician must submit their government manifesto to electoral authorities. The requirement is a way to make their campaign promises available to voters and help people make educated choices at polling stations, armed with the knowledge of where candidates stand on particular issues. The 2020 municipal election comes amid the worst health crisis in the last century — and just before a possible second coronavirus wave. We at The Brazilian Report examined major candidates’ manifestos in detail, thinking the coronavirus would have heavily influenced their proposals.

Well, we were wrong.

Most candidates in municipal races included only unspecified platitudes when talking about the challenges imposed by the pandemic — whether related to the economy, healthcare, or urban mobility.

When it comes to challengers, most of their pandemic pledges consist purely of criticism of incumbents, without any concrete proposals of their own. At the same time, those running for re-election have used their manifestos to gloat about their own achievements during the coronavirus crisis, even including actions taken by state administrations and the federal government.

2020 election: economy comes first

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