Brazil in March 2026: the most important developments in society
Brazil in March 2026 opened with rallies by supporters of former President Bolsonaro against President Lula across the country on 1 March, including a large protest on São Paulo's Paulista Avenue. Bolsonaro was hospitalised with pneumonia on 13 March and discharged from intensive care on 23 March. A poll showed a son of Bolsonaro ahead of Lula among evangelical voters, and a video linking a son of Bolsonaro to Rio criminal groups circulated. Federal police approved a strike and pressed Lula for an anti-crime fund.
Racism was the subject of several cases. A Brazilian lawmaker painted their skin brown in protest against a colleague on 18 March. In Rio, an Argentinian lawyer who threatened suicide during her trial was convicted of racism and may serve her sentence at home. A São Paulo player reached a deal over a racist insult in the Libertadores.
Weather and climate ran through the month. The death toll from heavy rains reached 70 on 1 March, and a nursing home collapsed on 6 March. Lula launched a 27 billion dollar climate crisis plan on 16 March, and Brazil made deforestation central to its new CO2 reduction plan. El Niño arrived on 17 March, Rio's record rainy summer ended, and a UN wildlife summit opened in the Pantanal wetlands on 22 March.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.