Eduardo Paz / Terra 360 – Global Exchange
During the last few weeks, there has been a significant increase in allusions to electoral fraud in the Brazilian elections. According to our measurements, mentions of fraud had remained below 300 thousand on the Twitter network. However, the indicator has exceeded this number almost every week since October. Alarmingly, the trend does not appear to be decreasing, but rather increasing as we approach the second round of presidential elections next Sunday.
Bolsonaro, identified by @brasildefato_es as a declared admirer of Donald Trump, prepares to face an adverse outcome accompanied by several members of the former president’s team and members of the American Republican Party. Just as so, it is worrying that the ex-military campaign house has prepared a strategy similar to the one carried out by Trump, putting in check the oldest democracy in the continent.
In this regard, Ariel Perkins, an American political scientist, investigated the risks that the propagation of conspiracy theories entail for democracy. Her work warns of the threat posed by the existence of militiamen adhering to extreme right-wing values. It is impossible not to draw a parallel between the North American 2018 elections and what Brazil is facing. Bolsonaro, a former military man, gained the support of pro-gun groups and has always counted on the sympathy of the military.
This Sunday, after a long period of military dictatorships, Brazilian democracy faces the challenge of withstanding the risks of late capitalism. Anti-democratic conspiracies appear openly displayed in social media platforms – A challenge democracies of this new century must face.