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Meet the Diverse Politicians Who Were Just Elected in Brazil

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On October 2, Brazil held a general election; the president and vice president were up for election, as were governors, some senators, all federal deputies, state deputies, and federal district deputies. Over 120 million voters went to the polls to decide on the country’s future, according to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Most media coverage of this election surrounded presidential candidate Luis Inácio Lula da Silva’s bid to defeat the incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, known for his extreme conservativism. However, Lula didn’t obtain over 50% of the votes needed for a candidate to win in the first round, and the candidates will now compete in a run-off election on October 30.

But what most media missed was that on the first weekend of October, Brazilians were able to celebrate the election of many candidates from more diverse, just, and feminist backgrounds. Namely, Erika Hilton and Duda Salaber, two transgender women, were elected to the national Congress while, on the state level, Linda Brasil, who also identifies as trans, was elected deputy in the northeast state of Sergipe. Given that Brazil is the country with the largest number of trans people killed, according to Transgender Europe (TGEU) 2021 report, having such representatives gives trans Brazilians hope that their needs are becoming part of the political conversation. “We are going to get off the street corners, we are going to get out of jails, we are going to get off crack corners and prostitution and start to think about public policies and legislation,” Hilton told The Guardian.

Another underrepresented group that celebrated electoral wins was Indigenous people; Sônia Guajajara, named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2022, and Célia Xakriabá were elected to Congress. This representation is especially needed in light of President Bolsonaro’s anti-Indigenous acts. In 2021, for example, the president promoted a bill that would prevent or hinder many Indigenous people from claiming their traditional lands, according to Human Rights Watch. Fortunately, the legislation didn’t pass in Congress. “Me and Sônia are companions in the struggle. I am very proud to be by your side on this journey,” Xakriabá posted on social media after the election. “Together, we will compose a militant caucus, fighting for mother earth and the defense of native peoples.”

Two women elected as state deputies — Daiana Santos for Rio Grande do Sul and Bella Gonçalves for Minas Gerais — are the first openly lesbian candidates to win such elections. Santos is also the first Black woman to do so, and two other candidates — Carol Dartora, who was elected federal deputy in Paraná, and Bruna Rodrigues, who was elected for the legislative assembly in Rio Grande do Sul, were also the first Black women to hold these positions. Other notable wins include Rosa Amorim in Pernambuco and Marina Santos in Rio de Janeiro, who were elected to their state’s congress; both are part of the Landless Workers Movement (MST), Brazil’s movement that defends and fights for agrarian reform and equitable land distribution.

In São Paulo, the state with the majority of voters in Brazil, Marina Silva, the former environment minister in Lula’s first administration, and Luiza Erundina were elected to state congress; both women are respected politicians with a history of defending social causes.

As federal and state congresses become more diverse, representatives like those mentioned here promise to make minorities’ voices part of key conversations. While Brazilians wait for more positive news in a few weeks, they can already get to know more about the elected candidates and their plans for working toward a more egalitarian society.



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Regiane Folter
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