Tabata Amaral’s rising popularity

 

 

Tabata Amaral, a 25-year-old Harvard educated lawmaker, has emerged as the rising star of Brazilian politics a liberal opponent to the often controversial and nationalistic president Jair Bolsonaro.

Tabata Claudia Amaral  de Pontes, born  14 November 1993, is a Brazilian political scientist education activist and politician and currently a federal deputy for Sao Paulo and member of the Democratic Labor Party, with the sixth most voted candidate in the state, with 264, 450 votes in the 2018 election.

Ms Amaral is also the poster child for RenovaBR. In the years since the Car Wash graft scandal that rocked Brazil, RenovaBR has become one of Brazil’s most potent political forces. It is poised next year to play a significant role in municipal elections testing Mr Bolsonaro’s re-election prospects.

RenovaBr, Contesting its first election had 17 new lawmakers elected from parties across the political spectrum, including Ms Amaral. RenovaBr said it received over 31, 000 applications for its training programme.

Amaral, who hails from a poor family in a favela of Sao Paulo, rose to prominence this year for her articulate defence of education at a time when the Bolsonaro administration was pursuing cuts. She voted in favour of a contentious pension reform that her party, the Democratic Labour Party, and many working class Brazilians opposed.

“Renova tries to put itself above the parties but it is next to the parties, making parallel actions. They are putting together a new network and they are paying for it themselves, but can they renew politics? Can they produce actual change”. Eduardo Mufarej, founder of RenovaBR rejects the idea of the movement seeks to influence lawmakers elected under its umbrella saying “ We lost good reference points for our leaders over the years. Most of us got trained to do what we do – politicians also need to be trained”.