The peaceful transition of power from Cardoso
The peaceful transition of power from Cardoso to his main opposition leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006), was seen as proof that Brazil had achieved a long-sought political stability.[162][163] However, sparked by indignation and frustrations accumulated over decades from corruption, police brutality, inefficiencies of the political establishment and public service, numerous peaceful protests erupted in Brazil from the middle of first term of Dilma Rousseff, who had succeeded Lula after winning election in 2010 and again in in 2014 by narrow margins.[164][165]
Rousseff was impeached by the Brazilian Congress in 2016, halfway into her second term,[166][167] and replaced by her Vice-President Michel Temer, who assumed full presidential powers after Rousseff’s impeachment was accepted on 31 August. Large street protests for and against her took place during the impeachment process.[168] The charges against her were fueled by political and economic crises along with evidence of involvement with politicians (from all the primary political parties) in several bribery and tax evasion schemes.[169][170]
In 2017, the Supreme Court requested the investigation of 71 Brazilian lawmakers and nine ministers of President Michel Temer’s cabinet who were allegedly linked to the Petrobras corruption scandal.[171] President Temer himself was also accused of corruption.[172] According to a 2018 poll, 62% of the population said that corruption was Brazil’s biggest problem.[173]
Through the Operation Car Wash, the Federal Police of Brazil has since acted on the deviations and corruption of the PT and allied parties at that time. In the fiercely disputed 2018 elections, the controversial conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) was elected president, winning in the second round Fernando Haddad, of the Workers Party (PT), with the support of 55.13% of the valid votes.[174]
