Dr. Mara Telles: "Presidential Elections in Brazil"

This talk by Dr. Mara Telles will analyze the behavior of Brazilian voters in the two most recent presidential elections: 2010 and 2014. In 2010, the outgoing president, Lula, was the main cognitive shortcut to activate electoral support for current president Dilma Rousseff (PT). The results achieved by Marina Silva will also be discussed, in  particular, among volatile Pentecostal evangelical religious voters, who were key for the success of the Green Party candidate. However, in the Brazilian context, election campaigns have a high capacity to influence voters without party identification, who make up most of the national electorate. Among an electorate anxious for change, Lula's prestige may again have played a key role in activating support for Dilma Rousseff’s reelection. What were the characteristics of the campaigns and which factors were the strongest determinants of the outcome of this election?

 

Helcimara de Souza Telles is currently a  professor of Political Science at UFMG, invited and guiding professor of Political Science and Business II Department of Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Brazilian Delegate of Wapor (World Asociation for Public Opinion Research). She also coordinates the Research Groups "Comunicación Política y Comportamiento Electoral (of Associação Latino Americana de Ciência Política -ALACIP)" and "Opinião Pública, Marketing Político e Comportamento Eleitoral (UFMG)", the e-journal "Em Debate" and the Political Marketing Specialization Course of UFMG. Her publications include: "Voto e estratégia de campanhas na América Latina", with Antonio Lavareda (2014) "Comportamento eleitoral e comunicação política na América Latina: o eleitor latino-americano", with Alejandro Moreno (2013) and "Como o eleitor escolhe o seu prefeito: campanha e voto nas eleições municipais", with Antonio Lavareda (2011).

 

All are welcome to attend!  A lunch of Brazilian Food provided by Si Señor will be served, so RSVPs are kindly requested.  

 

This talk is sponsored by the Comparative National Elections Project at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, Center for Latin American Studies, and Department of Political Science.

 

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