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        Brazilian developments
        2018.01.24 21:27:35 CET
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        This is the first time I'm posting about Brazil and politics here. I
        usually try to avoid the topic because it usually devolves into
        ideology discussions and I'm too pragmatic to follow an ideology. In
        today's case I decided to open an exception.
       
        I don't know if you know what is happening in Brazil, but this year
        we'll have presidential elections and today something which changed
        the whole political landscape happened. Luis Inácio da Silva, most
        commonly known as Lula, former president for two terms between 2003
        and 2011, had his criminal conviction confirmed by the appropriate
        appeals court. This means he will not be run for office in the
        upcoming elections (unless the electoral court decides otherwise, but
        this is extremely unlikely).
       
        According to recent polls, Lula was the favorite to win the
        elections, so it's expected this decision will not be warmly received
        by many. Honestly, I think it's a good one.
       
        I have no dreams this will change the rampant corruption in Brazil,
        but I think this is a good opportunity for the left to reinvent
        itself. Lula is an extremely polarizing candidate and besides all the
        troublesome comments he made (for example, saying he would persecute
        the media outlets which criticized him if he was in office again), he
        would only split society even further. Now it is a good time for the
        left to re-strategize, separate itself from popular idols and token
        politicians, and build a real government plan for future elections.
       
        Unfortunately, the more I think about this the more I realize it is
        also a dream. The reaction will be the usual, the Workers' Party (PT)
        will cry injustice and try to run a half-assed candidate with a
        half-assed project. And what worries me is they will loose to a crazy
        extreme right-wing populist candidate.