For KAS Brazil, a high-level debate open to civil society with specialists dedicated to understanding the scenario of the next four years is fundamental. In her opening speech, Anja Czymmeck, Director of KAS Brazil, emphasized the good functioning of the country's democratic institutions, which guaranteed an orderly and peaceful conduct of the elections, marked by the efficient counting of the electoral results. She also stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between Europe and Brazil, as well as the significance of the country's multilateral tradition in international organizations.

The first expert, Graziella Testa, political scientist and professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), has addressed the tense atmosphere of the electoral campaign. She has also explained that this was the first election in which the incumbent president was not reelected, and that the difference between the two opponents was the smallest since the beginning of the re-democratization process. In addition, Graziella Testa explained that the introduction of the barrier clause led to a reduction in the number of parties. This had a positive impact on governability, as the party landscape is less fragmented and interest groups more clustered. With regard to the formation of party federations, the impact on parliamentary work is yet to be analyzed. Regarding the election result, the analyst argued that the growth of the Liberal Party (PL) raises the question of who will assume a leadership role within the far right in the face of President Bolsonaro's defeat. She said that deeply entrenched conservatism, which had failed to position a candidate with a chance of winning, now had a chance to sort itself out and offer a reliable alternative until the next election.

The expert Juliana Damasceno, a senior economist at Tendências Consultoria, has addressed the economic challenges of the new government in her presentation. Although the economic situation has been recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, the services sector still suffers the consequences, as it is the last to recover. In addition, in view of the postponed adjustments, for example, in the social security and administrative sectors, the high inflation, and the increase in budget debt, it is difficult to finance the electoral promises of social policies. It remains to be seen whether the future government will have the political courage to face the budget imbalances or whether it will give priority to financing electoral promises. Additionally, Damasceno explained that more important than the size of the Waiver, i.e., the permission for government spending over a one-year period, is the fiscal anchor that will be defined by the new government.

Finally, the specialist Guilherme Casarões, professor and researcher at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), addressed the meaning of the election results for the new directions of Brazilian foreign policy and the international perception of Brazil. In his analysis, Lula's victory represents the triumph of liberal and plural democracy over a democracy with authoritarian characteristics. At the same time, the new government faces the challenge of convincing the 58 million citizens, who voted for Bolsonaro, and of making them enthusiastic again about democracy. Additionally, the international coordination of recognition of Lula's victory by more than 90 heads of state and government helps to avoid any kind of authoritarian adventure at the end of the process. The new government now faces the challenge of repositioning Itamaraty within the foreign policy decision-making process and recovering the country's international credibility. In addition, the resumption of stronger relations with South America is expected. Last but not least, the treatment of the humanitarian and democratic crisis in Venezuela is relevant for the expansion of Brazil's leadership role in the region.

The event had a select audience of 30 people in person and more than 300 online guests from Brazil and Latin America.