Electoral strategies in 2018

Views on the relation between religion and politics in Brazil vary. Religion has taken centre stage in electoral debates since the 2010 elections. On one side, we find a vision that defends the opposition and the autonomy of these spheres while denouncing what it perceives as a threat to the secular state. On the other side, we can identify social actors who defend the close ties between religion and politics as an affirmation of democracy and/or a "solution" to problems in politics and society. In the first case, humanist/universalist thought combined with negative perceptions of religion guide the narrative. In the second, a moral basis influences the narrative. In this article, we seek to reflect on mechanisms of power during the 2018 elections and explore the convergences among religious and secular interests and narratives and their relative uses during the electoral process and immediately after it. In addition to ongoing research on national electoral processes since 2010, we use the study entitled "Evangelical candidates in the 2018 elections: mapping candidates running for legislative elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Bahia and Minas Gerais" as an empirical basis. This study was conducted in 2018 and 2019 by the Institute of Religious Studies (ISER).