Abstentions in Brazil election could hurt governability

Mauricio Savarese, Associated Press
Updated 11:19 pm CDT, Monday, August 20, 2018

SAO PAULO (AP) — Attorney Carlos Gomes is a political junkie who plunged into campaigning for national and local candidates as a teenager. Two years ago, he even moved to Sao Paulo to work for a law firm that represents several candidates for office.

However he says he won't be able to bring himself to vote in October's general election.

"This time, I can't choose," said Gomes, 30. "These candidates are either uninspiring or plain bad."

Record numbers of Brazilians are expected to do the same, according to polls and studies, raising the specter that whoever wins will struggle to govern Latin America's most populous nation. It also means that the political fights of the last years, which culminated in the 2016 impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and the ascension of Vice President Michel Temer, who has since become Brazil's least popular leader in history, are far from over.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Abstentions-in-Brazil-election-could-hurt-13170335.php