The absence of female candidates in the 2020 electoral dispute in the country’s state capitals is ‘a disgrace not only for the idea of democracy, but for the ideal that we women dream of democracy,’ said Carolina Plothow, ambassador of Vote For Them Sao Paulo, quoted by portal Brasil de Fato.
She remarked that ‘we are in a low-quality democracy as representativeness is concerned.’
There has been a lot of talk about new politics, but, more and more, we perceive how this discourse is not reflected in practice, she said.
According to the Superior Electoral Court, women are 52.49 percent of the 147.9 million people eligible to vote in these elections, scheduled for November.
In Manaus (state of Amazonas), 11 flag bearers will contest power in the municipality, all men.
Thus, the people of Manaus repeat 2016, when no woman was a candidate in the city. In two other capitals of the country: Sao Luis (Manaus state) and Belém (Pará), there will be no female candidates.
‘Thinking about the movements to weaken democratic institutions, which are on the rise, it is not surprising that there are capital cities with no female candidates for the voters to vote,’ Plothow insisted.
The survey carried out by Brasil de Fato helps to understand the map of women candidacies in the South American giant.
Of the 59 aspiring mayors, 22 are in northeastern capitals, 14 in the southeast, 11 in the south, six in the north and another six in the center-west.
The two capitals with the largest number of candidates are Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba, six in each. Among Curitibean aspirations, there is Leticia Lanz, from the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), the only transgender who is running for mayor of a Brazilian capital.
Of the 32 parties that will contest the mayoralties of the capitals, nine do not have women suitors.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Congress decided to postpone the October municipal elections until November. The two electoral shifts, initially scheduled for October 4 and 25, will be held on November 15 and 29.
At the polls, more than 150 million voters would choose the mayors, vice mayors and councilors of the 5,568 municipalities of Brazil.
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