Bolsonaro pork-barreling influenced Brazil’s municipal elections. Here’s how

A year ago, Brazilians went to the polls to elect new mayors and city council members in 5,568 municipalities across the country. In around 2,700 of them, incumbents ran for re-election — and two-thirds were successful. While that is not surprising — as control over public finances is often a major factor in elections. But 2020 appears to have been different, with the federal government tipping the scales to help its allies on to victories.

When municipal funds are not enough for electoral deliverables — such as paved roads, public works, welfare programs, public health equipment, and school buses — mayors can count on federal grants sent to their constituencies by way of Congress. And more recently, they were able to profit from vast and opaque “rapporteur-designated grants.” 

As we have explained in recent articles, these grants are shady instruments that give Congress even more of a say over the budget. Created to give lawmakers funds for overlooked projects in their constituencies, these grants have turned into a massive pork-barrelling tool for the Bolsonaro administration since last year — especially as the mechanism is informal and off the books.

Money can buy elections

Last year, from January up to the municipal elections in November, over 1,000 mayors running for re-election received at least BRL 1.2 billion (USD 211 million) in federal grants from five cabinet ministries. Roughly 70 percent of mayors who got federal funds went on to win re-election. 

Most of the money...