RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Luiz Edson Fachin said Wednesday (18) that “social relations” in Brazil are designed to prevent the black population from coming to power.
Fachin made the statement during a public hearing at the TSE on “Racial Inequality and the Electoral System.”
During the hearing, Fachin also pointed out the low representation of blacks in the National Congress.
According to the TSE chairman, although blacks represent a majority of the population, they make up 24% of federal representatives and 16% of senators.
Fachin pointed out that there is a “racist policy” in Brazil that seeks to “destroy the legitimate conquests of the space of political power that until then was reserved for certain social groups.”
According to the president of the Electoral Court, it is not enough not to discriminate, but it is necessary to be angry about the absences.”
“These absences should be called abnormal because it is unacceptable that black men and women are absent from elections and elective offices in Brazil,” he said.
PUBLIC HEARING
The public hearing on racial inequality and the electoral system promoted by the TSE will feed into a report by the court-appointed Commission for the Promotion of Racial Equality.
Non-governmental organizations, public agencies, businesses, and individuals attended the event.
The commission, established in March, will evaluate and propose measures to improve rules and promote racial equality in elections and reduce structural racism in the electoral process.