LatinNews Daily - 11 November 2021 |
BRAZIL: Sergio Moro enters political fray |
On 10 November Brazil’s Sergio Moro, the former judge who presided over the ‘Lava Jato’ corruption cases and a former justice minister (2019-2020) in President Jair Bolsonaro’s government, formally entered politics by affiliating himself to the right-wing Podemos (PODE) party. Analysis: Moro, who rose to fame for his work on the Lava Jato cases, receded from the public eye after his acrimonious departure from Bolsonaro’s government in April 2020. A divisive figure and reviled by the Left due to his role in sentencing former president Lula da Silva (2003-2011) to prison, Moro has lost some of his shine amid signs that he acted with political bias. But with a general election due in October 2022, the former judge is positioning himself as a potential presidential pre-candidate for the so-called ‘third way’, the sought-for alternative to both Bolsonaro and Lula.
Looking Ahead: Moro benefits from name recognition at national level, which will help him in the earlier polls. But, at this stage, few believe that the former judge stands much of a chance: he lacks political experience or stature, faces strong rejection levels, and his focus on anti-corruption will not resonate with much of the electorate, which is reeling from the economic effects of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. |