Jair Bolsonaro is not the only reason his country is in a ditch
The political system that helped him win office needs deep reform
HOSPITALS ARE full, favelas echo with gunfire and a record 14.7% of workers are unemployed. Incredibly, Brazil’s economy is smaller now than it was in 2011—and it will take a lot of strong quarters like the one reported on June 1st to repair its reputation. Brazil’s death toll from covid-19 is one of the worst in the world. The president, Jair Bolsonaro, jokes that vaccines might turn people into crocodiles.
Brazil’s decline was shockingly fast. After the military dictatorship in 1964-85, the country got a new constitution that returned the army to barracks, a new currency that ended hyperinflation and social programmes that, with a commodity boom, began to ease poverty and inequality. A decade ago the country was flush with oil money and had been awarded the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. It seemed destined to flourish.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Brazil’s dismal decade"
Leaders June 5th 2021
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From the June 5th 2021 edition
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