In Blow to Big Money, Brazil Bans Corporate Donations to Parties and Election Campaigns

‘To kick out Big Money from politics is a tough job. Only a few countries have managed to curb corporate interference in politics and policy making. But now Brazil, an emerging economy like India, has banned corporate funding of all political campaigns – from municipal to federal elections. In a landmark judgment on Thursday, the Brazilian Supreme Court declared null and void the article of the Elections Act which allowed corporate donations to political parties and candidates. In an 8-3 verdict, the Supreme Court said that such donations were “unconstitutional” because “it is for citizens to elect their government, not the companies”.

Amid a corruption scandal that has shaken the country’s political class, the highest court has sent a clear message to the country: business houses have no right to participate in the electoral process. As of today, big corporations are the biggest campaign financiers in this country. In the last general elections in 2014, almost 95% of donations for election campaigns came from big companies. The rest came from individual donors.’

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