By Alternativa Socialista/PSOL
There are at least two general factors that can define the municipal elections of this year as atypical. Brazil and the world have been devastated by a pandemic scenario that has not been seen in a century, with thousands of casualties and millions infected in the country. Another important factor, as an extension of 2018, is the public representation of far-right candidacies in the elections. All of this, and more, is happening at the time of a crisis without a solution in the horizon.
The country is sunk in more than 14 million of unemployed people, 4.1 million only between May and September, and 4.8 million are discouraged. The GDP, which had already decreased, is expected to fall by -5%, according to the Central Bank. Wherever you look, the view is overwhelming. Inflation daily erodes the salaries with essential goods, increasingly more “luxurious”, the real is crushed by the dollar/euro.
What future?
It is a question that is not clear yet. The radical left presents an alternative project to exit the crisis and defeat the far-right, but in an embryonic way. At the same time, they challenge the traditional right, center-left and the left of the regime. Each one of them offers solutions that go from utter barbarism to the continuation of rotten relations between the bourgeois institutions.
The government keeps on attacking wherever it can to ensure the benefits of a small portion of the super-rich: a devastated biome, an administrative reform on the way, money taken from education, the end of subsidies and welfare, etc. To be honest, the rampages do not always succeed. The recent attempt to clear the way for the privatization of the Basic Units of Health Assistance failed due to the rejection of the people. Still, Bolsonaro leans on the “great bourgeois pact”, thus avoiding the bad weather in the electoral period, but with the dehydration of the base that took to the streets to defend him and a bad/terrible acceptance that oscillates in the capital between 17% in Boa Vista to 65% in Salvador [1].
The left could use this whole situation of crisis to propose an alternative solution. However, this is not happening. On the one hand, a sector is isolating itself in self-proclamation, on the other, the PSOL, the party we build, feeds the illusions in the PT/PCdoB, appointed in most of the capitals, forging alliances with Bolsonarist parties in several municipalities and attacking the working class in the states they rule.
At the same time, it was speculated that Bolsonarism would harvest the best fruits of the elections, which is not happening. They are well based in few capitals. In Sao Paulo, for example, the threat to Bolsonarism is Boulos. Furthermore, the rule is more cracks in their candidacies, in some places more than two or three. The majority, in the small and medium size cities, do not even directly support Bolsonaro in fear of losing votes.
The rightful children of Bolsonarism are not occupying the desired spaces, but these spaces are being occupied by the traditional right or the center-right/left that directly negotiates with the government and will help – or close their eyes- in the implementation of unpopular measures. In this entire scenario, it is clear that only the radical and socialist left can consistently fight against this miserable government.
We are going with the PSOL 50
The tendency of the PSOL in these elections is of parliamentary expansion and in some cities of the executive. In Sao Paulo, Boules leads a campaign of the streets, with a lot of influence and, with every opinion poll, he grows in his intentions of votes. The great challenge is ensuring a place of the second round against Bruno Cova, the candidate for governor, and the ex Bolso Doria. But there are some rocks on the road: the disgusting Russomano, a candidate of Bolsonaro, and Márcio França, a bird out of the nest. In any case, Boulos has already proven to be an important electoral phenomenon, accumulating an important political victory.
In Belem, Edmilson has a considerable advantage over the second place and shows a campaign in which the population asks for a government of those who work. On the opposite side, Edmilson has closed a dangerous and wrong arch of alliances that even contains the PDT and REDE. It is not possible to govern for our class with bourgeois parties; the popular front is not the way to defeat Bolsonarism. With a classist campaign, the comrade Silvia Leticia, candidate for councilor with the support of Socialist Alternative and the ILS, is a true bet of a struggling socialist mandate.
Despite the electoral advance, the PSOL is still showing limitations: in Recife it plays a depressing role of “left-wing advisor” of the candidacy of the PT (with the PMB and the PTC) against the PSB that, in general, has the same program of administration of the city for the rich. In Rio de Janeiro, Freixo, the only one with real chances against Paes or Crivella, made a severe mistake by not keeping his candidacy. The population is now bitter between two bourgeois and corrupt candidates. Freixo is increasingly alienating himself more and more, even carrying out a campaign with candidates of employer parties. In several cities of the country, the PSOL is forging alliances with bourgeois parties. It is necessary that the party changes this line.
We call the people to vote the number 50 and we fight for the PSOL to be a tool in the defeat of Bolsonaro and in the overcoming of the projects of the Popular Front. But there is still a way. We are still debating with comrades and organizations of the Bloc of the Radical Left.
Anti-democratic elections and post-elections
This municipal election will be marked as one of the most anti-democratic of the last years. Increasingly less people have access to crucial debates. Parties like the PCB, the PSTU, the UP and the PCO live in a situation of semi-lawfulness due to the exclusion in the spaces and the PSOL has an increasingly more suppressed time. The main chains of television have ended the debates with the excuse of the pandemic, but continue with the normal schedule. It is necessary to use the space we have to denounce this situation and the attacks of the government of Bolsonaro. The PSOL has underused the space for that purpose.
The union centrals and the parties, PT/PCdoB, which before the elections did not lift a finger against Bolsonaro for the pandemic, now cynically carry out their street campaigns –the bourgeois candidacies are making a real revelry of COVID-19 infection. The cynical excuse will continue with the recess of the year-end recess.
We must stop the lethargy. It is time to mobilize, rebuild the struggle to overturn the government of Bolsonaro and present the working class, the minority sectors and the poor a program to overcome the crisis with: 1) The end of the payment of the foreign “debt”; 2) A tax to the super-rich; 3) A national plan of employment generation with public infrastructure; 4) A salary raise according to Dieese (R$ 5). 005.91 in October; 5) National planning of public healthcare to 100% in the fight against Covid-19; 6) The abrogation of the unpopular reforms; 7) A national plan of recovery of the biome, 8) The nationalization of the strategic sectors under the democratic control of the working class.
We, from Socialist Alternative (PSOL), defend this program and put ourselves to the service of the important task the socialist left has ahead and the so necessary unity of action against the government of Bolsonaro. Vote for the PSOL 50 and fight with the radical left!
[1] The second poll of Ibope carried out in the period of electoral campaign indicates a fall in the acceptance of the government of Very Good/Good and an increase of Bad/Terrible.