Panel discussion “Democracy in turmoil” on January 23, 2023

After the election of left-wing Lula da Silva as President of Brazil last fall, many people spoke of a victory for democracy. Then, on January 8, 2023, thousands of supporters of former incumbent Jair Bolsonaro vandalized Congress, the Supreme Court and the seat of government in the Brazilian capital Brasilia. These riots in the heart of Brazilian democracy took place just one week after the inauguration of the new President Lula da Silva and brought back disturbing memories of the storming of the US Capitol two years ago by supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump.

Next Monday, January 23, 2023, at 7 pm in the Historische Villa Metzler, the panel discussion “Democracy in Turmoil” will address the resulting questions such as “What are the causes of the uprisings? How resilient and stable are democratic institutions against the backdrop of these symptoms of crisis? And how can democracy be protected?”

Guests are the Brazilian politician and economist Prof. Eduardo Suplicy – one of the most influential figures in Brazilian politics for more than 40 years – and Prof. Jonas Wolff, Professor of Political Science with a focus on transformation research in Latin America at Goethe University Frankfurt, Associate Member of the ConTrust research initiative at Research Centre Normative Orders and member of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF). The event will be moderated by Rebecca Caroline Schmidt (Managing Director Research Centre Normative Orders of Goethe University Frankfurt). The Director of the Research Center Normative Orders, Prof. Rainer Forst, and the Consul General of Brazil in Frankfurt am Main, Alexandre José Vidal Porto, will give welcoming addresses. The event was initiated by Dr. Paula Macedo Weiss (cultural producer). Admission is free. Registration is not required.