—Juliano Zaiden Benvindo, University of Brasília and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development [Editors’ Note: This is one of our biweekly ICONnect columns. For more information on our four columnists for 2021, please see here.] For a Brazilian, the prospect of Trump winning the US presidential elections in 2020 could mean that Brazil, with
Undemocratic Legislation to Undermine Freedom of Speech in Brazil
—Ulisses Levy Silvério dos Reis, The Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region – UFERSA, and Emilio Peluso Neder Meyer, The Federal University of Minas Gerais The 2018 general elections put the Brazilian political scenario in the center of the global debate on illiberal governments and democratic erosion. Jair Bolsonaro, a former Army officer who was
Constitutionalism and Multi-Level Governance: Ran Hirschl on Megacities in Constitutional Democracies
—Estefânia Maria de Queiroz Barboza, Federal University of Paraná, and Lucas Henrique Muniz da Conceição, Birkbeck College, University of London On October 30, the Brazilian Chapter of the ICON-S promoted an international conference on the theme of Megacities and Constitutional Law. Presenting his novel academic contribution Prof. Ran Hirschl provided a keynote address regarding his
The Paradoxical Nature of the “Ways of Moderation” in Brazilian Democracy
—Juliano Zaiden Benvindo, University of Brasília A controversial statement in Brazil these days, when President Jair Bolsonaro seems to have slowed down his blatantly authoritarian utterances, is that “institutions are functioning.” Carlos Pereira, a Brazilian leading political scientist, for example, has long argued that Brazil’s institutions are solid,[1] and, in a recent column for Estado
Old Wine in a New Bottle? A Response to Bruce Ackerman on Presidentialism in Brazil
—Luiz Guilherme Arcaro Conci, Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo; João Vitor Cardoso, University of Chile; Estefânia Maria de Queiroz Barboza, Federal University of Paraná; Glauco Salomão Leite Correio, Federal University of Paraíba; and João Paulo Allain Teixeira, Federal University of Pernambuco In his analysis on the backsliding of Brazilian democracy, Professor Bruce Ackerman not only
Freedom at Stake in Brazil: An Illiberal Project Unfolds Under Bolsonaro’s Regime
Special Series: Perspectives from Undergraduate Law Students –Pedro Abrantes Martins, Bachelor’s degree candidate, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Brazil; Research Fellow, Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development; member of the research group “Abusive Constitutionalism and Democratic Erosion,” UFPR Freedom is at stake in Brazil. In 2020 alone, the government and its enthusiasts launched
Compulsory Vaccination in Brazil: Anticipating the COVID-19 Vaccine Struggles
—Bruno Santos Cunha, City Attorney, Recife, Brazil In the last week of August 2020, the Brazilian Supreme Court had a peculiar case on its docket: the State of São Paulo was suing the parents of a 5 year-old child in order to compel them to regularize their child’s vaccination according to the mandatory vaccine calendar
The Other Side of the Party Fragmentation Paradox in Brazil: A Re-Election Booster?
—Juliano Zaiden Benvindo, University of Brasília and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development In my previous post “The Party Fragmentation Paradox in Brazil: A Shield Against Authoritarianism”, I argued that, paradoxically, party fragmentation may “serve as a shield against radical and authoritarian intents by the executive power.” The continuous battle Brazil’s President Bolsonaro had
Why Replacing the Brazilian Constitution Is Not a Good Idea: A Response to Professor Bruce Ackerman
—Thomas da Rosa Bustamante, Emilio Peluso Neder Meyer, Marcelo Andrade Cattoni de Oliveira, Federal University of Minas Gerais; Jane Reis Gonçalves Pereira, Rio de Janeiro State University; Juliano Zaiden Benvindo and Cristiano Paixão, University of Brasília In a provocative piece that was first published in Portuguese and then in an English version on ICONnect, Professor
An Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendment? The Strange Case of the Postponement of the 2020 Brazilian Election
—Jairo Lima, Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná Among the many impacts the COVID-19 epidemic has had on political and constitutional activity worldwide, the postponement or cancellation of elections has been one of the key issues. According to data from the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an institution that monitors electoral processes in the
