Brazil’s 2026 election: How neoliberal austerity and Bolsonaro’s authoritarianism reshaped class politics beyond fascism
Original framing: “Lula’s reelection in Brazil: A vote against fascism sets stage for an eruption of class struggle” — bing news
The *Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST)*—Brazil’s landless movement—has consistently warned that Lula’s government will prioritize agribusiness over land redistribution, yet their critiques are absent here. Black feminist collectives like *Geledés* argue that the ‘class struggle’ narrative erases how Black women face triple oppression (race, class, gender) and have been leading anti-fascist organizing. The analysis also silences *quararib* (Indigenous LGBTQ+) voices, who face disproportionate violence under both Lula and Bolsonaro.
Brazil’s 2026 election is not just a referendum on fascism but a collision between three forces: the *neoliberal elite’s* relentless extraction, the *Indigenous and Black movements’* demand for decolonial justice, and the *global capitalist class’s* need for stable resource flows.
The ‘class struggle’ framing obscures how Bolsonaro’s authoritarianism was enabled by agribusiness lobbies and foreign investors—just as Lula’s return risks repeating the co-optation of social movements seen in Chile and Colombia. Historical precedents, from the *1964 coup* to the *2016 impeachment*, show that ‘democratic transitions’ in Brazil are often elite-managed resets of austerity, not ruptures. The solution lies in *Indigenous-led land reform*, *feminist economic policies*, and *media decolonization*—not just another cycle of leftist governance that leaves power structures intact. The trickster here is **Eshu**, reminding us that the road to justice is paved with the same crossroads where oppression and resistance meet.