Coalition presidentiality in transe and crisis in Brazil

Abstract

The Brazilian political party pattern has already changed a lot and continues to change. The 2018 elections were disruptive. They broke the party-electoral axis that organized government and opposition for the last 25 years and for six general elections. The new government started out with high expectations and a lot of controversy. Bolsonaro belatedly formed a minority coalition, more out of pressure than conviction. The pandemic added an unprecedented and very serious aggravation to the picture. The pandemic produced hundreds of thousands of deaths and led to the convening of a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate errors and omissions by the Federal Executive. It has been taking a heavy toll on the government in terms of political legitimacy. The president’s political-institutional attitude has caused decision-making deadlocks and a political crisis, given the worst crisis the country has ever faced. There are signs of risk to democracy and institutional. In his third year in office, Bolsonaro has lost popularity and generated more political crises than solutions. The purpose of this article is to analyze these changes and their serious political-institutional consequences.