Brazil: Scandalous Electoral Fraud Opens the Path to Return of a New Military Regime

 

Organize the Resistance and Self-Defense of Workers and the Oppressed! Prepare for a Political General Strike to Bring Down Bolsonaro!

 

Statement of the Corrente Comunista Revolucionária-CCR (Brazilian section of the RCIT), 02 November 2018, http://www.elmundosocialista.blogspot.com

 

 

 

According to the official figures published by the Electoral Justice, controlled entirely by the right and the bourgeoisie, the ultra-reactionary candidate Jair Bolsonaro won 55% of valid votes, but only 39% of the eligible voters. Taking this as a reference, Fernando Haddad won 32%. Null and white votes and abstentions came to 29%. Adding the votes of the PT candidate with null votes, whites votes and abstentions, it turns out that 61% (41 million) of the electorate did not vote in Bolsonaro.

 

This was not a common election. It was an absolutely fraudulent electoral process. One fraud that became possible first from the moment when the main candidate, preferred by the poor and oppressed masses, Lula da Silva from Workers Party-PT, in which at that moment he had more than 40% of the intentions of votes, was removed from the electoral process by a criminal conviction absolutely false and with strong evidence of defense restraint by the powerful Judge Sergio Moro. It may be added that never since the end of the dictatorship in 1985 the military played such a decisive role as now in 2018. Not only because Jair Bolsonaro is a retired army captain, and his vice-president a retired general, but by the statements and opinions of the high ranks of the military about not recognizing a possible victory of the left, i.e. a victory of the Workers Party.

 

According to the UOL website "the military will occupy strategic areas in areas such as health, safety, infrastructure, labor, environment, international, justice and defense”. In short, the regime contains already a strong influence of the army command, having come to power through maneuvers and control of elections that can easily characterize this election as a fraud.

 

There were 3.5 million voter titles canceled just days before the election in first round, allegedly for lack of registration in electoral biometry. These voters, in their overwhelming majority located in the northeastern region, with poor people with no resources to try to solve the problem with the electoral justice system.

 

Two days before the second round, public universities were invaded by the military police. The motive was that various lectures were held with the theme almost always warning of the danger of fascism, without specifying the name of the ultra-reactionary candidate. However, the police, using an English expression “if the cap fits, wear it!”, prohibited the lectures. It was necessary for ministers to protest against this blatant unconstitutionality by forcing the repression to withdraw from universities.

 

Social Networks and Fake News

 

The fake news and the messages through robots via WhatsApp, paid by wealthy entrepreneurs in favor of Bolsonaro were once again in this election one of the determining factors for the fraudulent victory of Jair Bolsonaro. But the electoral court simply thought that was not important. Parts of the population, demonstrating good humor even in the tragedy, have promptly given the jesting nickname to Bolsonaro as the "WhatsApp President".

 

Future Attacks on the Working Class

 

The first interviews of Bolsonaro on economy, now as officially elected president, indicate the continuity of the government Temer regarding the privatizations, except of areas that he considers strategic like Bank of Brazil, Caixa Economica, Bank of the Northeast, among others. He has similar plans for the electric power sector.

 

On the other hand, the future new economic minister, the Chicago boy Paulo Guedes, has rushed, a day after the victory, to ensure the financial system to implement the infamous Pension Reform. He also promised to prepare the full privatization of the pension system and in the near future. This would copy the failed model implanted in Pinochet's Chile. However, we must remember that it was necessary for the bourgeoisie and the financial system to establish a bloody dictatorship, with more than 30,000 victims, in that country for the implementation of those harsh neoliberal reforms.

 

Geopolitics and Economy under the Bolsonaro government

 

From a political and economic point of view, the Bolsonaro government tends to be much closer to American president Trump and to diminish actions of the Mercosur agreement (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay).

 

This necessarily implies a serious problem for the imperialist power China which is currently the largest foreign investor in Brazil. The Chinese government, through the China Daily website on October 30, issued a strong warning to elected Bolsonaro with the Headline “No reason for 'Tropical Trump' to disrupt relations with China” stating that if he follows Donald Trump style of economic confrontation with China Brazil will be the one most harmed (http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201810/29/WS5bd702e9a310eff303285424.html).

 

With regard to relations with Venezuela, the tendency is to worsen the relationship. Following the policy of the US government, some more exalted within the Bolsonaro team, such as his vice-president General Mourão came to defend a joint action with Colombia to intervene in Venezuela, but for now, he was disowned by the new president.

 

Another expression of the reactionary character of the Bolosaro government is its decision to move the Brazil embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Albeit this decision is in line with the desire of Bolosaro’s evangelical basis, it could create problems for Brazil's exports to Muslim countries. Exports of meat and poultry to Muslim countries alone is worth $ 13 billion a year.

 

Repression against Social Movements and new "Anti-Terrorist Law" Approved by Temer

 

While everyone was concerned about the elections, the putchist president Temer approved the Law Federal decree number 9.527/18. According to the leftist website redebrasilatual this law can "allows the persecution of social movements and entities that represent workers and minorities. This new law deals with the creation of an intelligence task force to confront organized crime in Brazil, and "could be used by an extremist government to criminalize social movements. But the lack of definition about the concept of terrorist activity can be a easiness for executive and legislative members to act against organizations such as the Landless Workers Movement (MST) and the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST)." (https://www.redebrasilatual.com.br/cidadania/2018/10/decreto-de-temer-pode-ser-usado-por-extremistas-para-criminalizar-socialmovements)

 

The Resistance of Left-Wing Parties and Mass Movements

 

In a statement issued shortly after the presidential election, the Frentes Brasil Popular e Povo Sem Medo (Popular Brazil and Fearless People), where various movements, popular organizations and leftist parties are represented, said "that the elections are over, but the struggle for democracy and social rights is only starting. That is, the result of the elections opens a window of popular resistance against fascism." https://www.esmaelmorais.com.br/2018/10/frentes-brasil-popular-e-povo-sem-medo-articulam-democratica-resistencia/.

 

The opportunist PSTU, which refused to resist the coup d'etat against the Rousseff government (and in fact aided the coup by supporting the slogans for the overthrow of the PT-led government), now feels the danger and on its website calls for unity with progressive forces and declares the need for "a united front to unite the the people from the bottom to defend our rights." (https://www.pstu.org.br/nota-do-pstu-sobre-o-resultado-das-eleicoes-os-desafios-de-classe-worker-with-a-eleica-de-bolsonaro/).

 

Deputy Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS), leader of the PT in the lower house and re-elected with more than 133,000 votes, is calling in the name of the Workers Party for "the construction of a broad front in defense of democracy and the mobilization for the liberation of ex- President Lula are the main tasks of the left and the social sectors that took to the streets against the candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential campaign." (http://www.pt.org.br/pimenta-defende-frente-ampla-para-manter-a-luta-democracia/)

 

The Workers' Cause Party (PCO) is calling for the 2nd National Open Conference against Coup and Fascism. The first conference was held in July 2018 with about 1,000 delegates from mass movement organizations all over the country and which CCR comrades also attended.

 

 

 

Perspectives

 

 

 

The CCR (Brazilian section of RCIT) will not only participate in such conferences organizing against the coup d’état, we will also join the social movements and struggles on the streets. We are categorical in reaffirming that the only defense that the Brazilian people have against the militarized ultra-reactionary regime that is already in power is our independent struggle and organization. What is necessary is the immedeate formation of a broad united front of all mass organizations of the working class and the oppressed (CUT, PT, MST, MTST, etc.) in order to organize a mass resistance against the Bolosaro government and its reactionary attacks. Such resistance must include mass demonstrations and strikes. Ultimately, it is urgent to prepare for a political general strike to bring down Bolosaro!

 

More and more we must organize our own forces as workers of the cities and of the peripheries along with the poor peasants, women, blacks, indigenous people, the LGBT community! Hence, we need to organize in Action Committees as well as in Committees of Popular Defense in order to defend us against police repression and fascist attacks. Let's not let fascism grow!

 

* For a united front of all mass organizations of the working class and the oppressed (CUT, PT, MST, MTST, etc.)

 

* For the creation of action committees in factories, unions, neighborhoods, favelas and peripheral regions in defense of our rights as well as against the putschist government and against any military intervention. For self-defense committees of the workers and the poor people in the neighborhoods and peripheries!

 

* No to the criminalization of political demonstrations and the criminalization of social movements! By the repeal of decree 9.527/18 that points to the criminalization of the actions of the mass movement.

 

* Public safety is not the role of the Armed Forces! For the cancellation of federal military intervention in the state of Rio de Janeiro!

 

* Immediate freedom for Lula da Silva!

 

* Down with the constitutional law that allows the army to intervene in political matters!

 

* For mass demonstrations and strikes against the Bolosaro government and its reactionary attacks! Prepare for a political general strike to bring down Bolosaro!

 

* For the Revolutionary Constituent Assembly!

 

* For a Workers' Government in alliance with the urban and rural poor

 

* For a revolutionary workers' party as part of a new World Party of the Socialist Revolution!