Brazil Advances Racial Equity in Politics through Judicial and Municipal Reforms
Brazil deepens efforts to combat racial underrepresentation in politics through judicial events and municipal council reforms, focusing on equity and inclusion.
- • TRE-CE's 2nd Encontro Consciência Negra highlighted racial underrepresentation and promoted electoral equity measures including mandated funding for black candidates.
- • Curitiba's Municipal Chamber approved expanding the ethnic-racial policy council, increasing civil society representation including Black women's and migrant groups.
- • Recent constitutional amendments require political parties to allocate at least 30% of electoral funds to black candidates to improve representation.
- • Reforms emphasize addressing compounded discrimination and fostering collaboration between public authorities and civil society to combat racism.
Key details
On November 24 and 25, 2025, significant strides were made in Brazil to address the persistent racial underrepresentation in politics through judicial dialogue in Ceará and municipal governance reform in Curitiba.
The Tribunal Regional Eleitoral do Ceará (TRE-CE) hosted the 2nd Encontro Consciência Negra, focusing on the "Sub-representação negra: desafios e caminhos para a equidade racial na política." The event highlighted the disparity between Brazil's black majority (55.51%) and the relatively low percentage of elected black candidates (32.12%) from the 2022 census. Scholar Marcus Giovani Ribeiro Moreira introduced the concept of "place of speech," emphasizing how the identity of the speaker influences racial discourse and the subaltern positioning of black Brazilians. Judge Valéria Carneiro underscored the urgent need to confront compounded discrimination, especially against black women, while noting recent constitutional amendments mandating political parties allocate 30% of electoral funds to black candidates to promote electoral equity.
Simultaneously, Curitiba's Municipal Chamber approved a restructuring proposal for the Conselho Municipal de Política Étnico-Racial (Comper). This update expands the council from 22 to 28 members and affiliates it with the newly established Municipal Secretariat for Women and Ethnic-Racial Equality (SMIR). Importantly, the reform broadens civil society representation to include organizations representing Black women, migrants, stateless Black populations, and the elderly. Government Leader Serginho do Posto emphasized that these reforms foster enhanced collaboration to combat racism and advance racial equality.
Together, these actions reflect a multifaceted approach in Brazil—melding judicial advocacy and local governance reforms—to confront systemic racial disparities and promote a more inclusive political landscape.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.