The blue-state, red-state divide that shaped Brazil’s election
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Version 0 of 1. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff survived a bitterly fought election campaign, inching past rival candidate Aécio Neves in a runoff vote on Sunday. The leftist incumbent had earlier been considered a shoo-in, but the stigma of a faltering economy and corruption scandals within her government saw her lead steadily erode in recent months. As The Washington Post's Brazil correspondent, Dom Phillips, notes, the final showdown between Rousseff and Neves was heated and acrimonious. Brazilians quickly became polarized between the two parties. A war raged on social media, with friends and even family members falling out over political affiliations and unfriending one another on Facebook. The candidates traded insults in debates. Neves called Rousseff “frivolous” and a “liar”; Rousseff accused him of nepotism. Brazilians quickly became polarized between the two parties. A war raged on social media, with friends and even family members falling out over political affiliations and unfriending one another on Facebook. The candidates traded insults in debates. Neves called Rousseff “frivolous” and a “liar”; Rousseff accused him of nepotism. Rousseff's greatest base of support was among Brazil's poor. Since 2003, social reforms and programs enacted by her Workers' Party have reduced poverty by 55 percent, Phillips reports. Neves, the challenger, comes from an established political family and was characterized by Rousseff's camp as a neo-liberal stooge for the country's patrician class and business elites. The specter of a class war hovered over the election. And, as this map produced by the Economist shows, the vote in part played along socioeconomic lines. Majorities in Brazil's more impoverished northeast backed Rousseff, while Neves had a considerable advantage in the country's more prosperous south. How #Brazil voted, state by state http://t.co/p3uaI2hylZ pic.twitter.com/UjQ8oRl3oT— The Economist (@TheEconomist) October 27, 2014 How #Brazil voted, state by state http://t.co/p3uaI2hylZ pic.twitter.com/UjQ8oRl3oT Neves won 64 percent of the vote in Sao Paolo state, which is home to Brazil's biggest metropolis, has one-fifth of the country's population and is the source of one-third of the nation's economy, the Economist reports. A graphic produced by the Wall Street Journal ahead of the election also showed a clear geographic split between Brazil's north and south, as well as the disproportionate number of wealthy voters who supported Rousseff's rival. Great chart showing Brazil's growing electoral divide. pic.twitter.com/HgXn0l5Pmv— David Luhnow (@davidluhnow) October 22, 2014 Great chart showing Brazil's growing electoral divide. pic.twitter.com/HgXn0l5Pmv The Economist, not known for its admiration of leftist populism, endorsed Neves, seeing him as a better steward of the Brazilian economy whose "policies would benefit poor Brazilians as well as prosperous ones." That prediction won't be put to the test. But many challenges await the country's reelected president. Despite her background as a former revolutionary, Rousseff is hardly a fire-breathing radical. Last year, her government had to withstand mass protests staged by many Brazilians angry about deepening inequities in the country and a lack of adequate social services. After her victory, she called for an end to division and rancor. "Instead of increasing differences and creating gaps, I strongly hope that we create the conditions to unite,” she said. “I want to be a much better president than I have been until now.” |