In more ways than one, the re-election of Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff for a second consecutive term in Sunday’s dramatic run-off represents a replay of the political script in Latin America. The narrative is one where the region’s heads of state usually hold office for successive spells, at times even beyond the stipulated two terms, by means of tinkering with the Constitution. Yet that does not tell the full story of an electorate that is easily forgiving of their leaders. For the repeated massive electoral mandates equally confirm popular faith in the stewardship of the region’s leftist parties, despite the economic challenges facing these countries. The term anti-incumbency seems almost alien to the Latin American lexicon. The verdict received by Ms. Rousseff for another four years would appear above all to be a measure of the popularity of the social protection programmes of the centre-left Workers’ party during its 12-year rule. Such a reading is borne out by the response from Brazil’s vocal and impatient middle classes, who rallied behind the two opposition candidates right through the poll campaign.
During the first-round poll on October 6, it was the popular environmentalist Marina Silva who consistently defied predictions of a surge in support for the incumbent. It was her eventual elimination that pitch-forked Aécio Neves of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy party — never in the reckoning until then — into the race. Similarly in the run-off, Mr. Neves came within three percentage points of the winning margin. Evidently, the ripples that Ms. Rousseff’s party felt in the run-up to the polls over corruption scandals in the big state oil refineries did little to dent the party’s pro-poor image. Nor was the state of the economy in recession enough to sway voters away. Brazil, as with other countries of the region, may have nearly reached the end of the commodities boom of recent years. The President has, in her second term, some deft balancing to do to retain the support of her political constituency, while formulating policies to ensure macro-economic stability. A new beginning could well be in the offing. During the campaign and after her victory, Ms. Rousseff has acknowledged egregious wrongdoing in the state-owned Petrobras, where she had for a time served as a director. Greater transparency could further enhance Brazil’s growing global economic and political clout. Latin American leaders have emerged as robust champions of democracy with a strong egalitarian thrust. They could do more to safeguard these values. The best of intentions may not justify the erosion of basic institutions.
