Electoral Revolution in Brazil Aimed at Neutralising Corporate Influence

Electoral Revolution in Brazil Aimed at Neutralising Corporate Influence
By Mario Osava

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sep 29 2015 (IPS) - From now on, elections in Brazil will be more democratic, without corporate interference, which had become decisive and corruptive. A Sep. 17 Supreme Court ruling declared unconstitutional articles of the elections act that allow corporate donations to election campaigns.

The 8-3 verdict came in response to a legal challenge brought by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) against the laws authorising and regulating donations by big corporations to political parties and candidates.

In its challenge to the constitutionality of the elections act articles in question, the OAB argued that they violate the democratic principle – the backbone of the 1988 constitution – which established that all citizens are political equals, with each individual vote carrying the same weight.

The verdict also stated that corporate financing runs counter to the first article of the constitution, which establishes that the political representatives elected by the people must serve the public good and that there must be a strict separation between the public and private spheres.

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http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/09/electoral-revolution-in-brazil-aimed-at-neutralising-corporate-influence/