1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Brazils Presidential Election Peter J. Meyer Specialist in Latin American Affairs Updated November 16, 2018 Brazilthe fifth most populous country and ninth-largest economy in the worldheld presidential, legislative, and st
2、ate elections in October 2018. Antiestablishment sentiment carried the day, as voters elected Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right populist, to the presidency and replaced nearly half of congress. The results could have significant implications for Brazils domestic policies as well as its relationship with t
3、he United States. Domestic Context The 2018 election took place as Brazil was struggling to emerge from a series of domestic crises. The country fell into a deep recession in 2014, due to a decline in global commodity prices and economic mismanagement under the center-left Workers Party (PT) governm
4、ent of President Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016). The unemployment rate more than doubled as the economy contracted by more than 8% from 2015 to 2016. Although economic growth returned in 2017, conditions remain difficult. Nearly 12% of the population is unemployed, and several million formerly middle-cl