Brazil in Focus 03/2026

The latest issue of the Brasil em Foco series features two articles that explore complementary aspects of Brazilian democracy. Humberto Dantas analyzes the creation and evolution of the Electoral Fund, highlighting how its centralization within political parties and the increase in funding amounts have failed to eliminate practices such as slush funds, self-financing, and the influence of illicit funds, thereby keeping campaign finance a central challenge to the legitimacy of elections. Patrícia Rangel, meanwhile, discusses the underrepresentation of women in politics, linking it to the gendered division of labor and the burden of care work, which limits their public participation. Despite quotas and financing rules, progress remains modest, and equality remains more formal than real. Taken together, the texts conclude that Brazilian democracy faces structural dilemmas: dependence on financial resources for electoral success and the persistent exclusion of women from positions of power, both factors that undermine its full legitimacy.