Feminists in Brazil are preparing for a fight after disappointing election results.
Far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, known for his sexist and anti-LGBTQ+ comments, won the first round of elections with 46% of the votes. Many are responding with #NotHim.
Women also saw little gains in Senate. Of the 54 seats up for grabs, only seven were won by women. In total, women will hold 12 of 81 seats. Among the losses was ex-president Dilma Rousseff, who stated, “It is an honor to fight for democracy in these times of setbacks. I honor women and our people. The struggle now is to form a strong front in defense of democracy and against inequality. Let’s march together against hatred, backwardsness and violence.”
The lower legislative body saw a slight increase from 53 to 77 women out of the 513 seats. However, three states (Amazonas, Maranhao, and Sergipe) didn’t elect a single women lawmaker.
But there are reasons to celebrate. Joênia Wapixana became the first Indigenous women elected to Congress, marking the first time since 1982 that Brazil has an Indigenous lawmaker. Wapixana promises to fight for a better environmental policy.
Talíria Petrone, who was an advisor to murdered councilwoman Marielle Franco, also won a seat in Congress.
