Brazilian presidential candidates are centering their campaigns on combating organized crime and dismantling criminal factions to improve national security [1].
This focus reflects growing public concern over the expanding power of gangs and the ability of criminal organizations to influence public safety across the country.
Proposed strategies include strengthening the federal penitentiary system and reinforcing security at national borders [1]. Some candidates have proposed classifying criminal factions as terrorist organizations to enable more aggressive state responses [1]. Public security analyst Elijonas Maia said these priorities are a response to systemic violence [1].
However, the approach to these issues is not uniform. While some reports suggest a consensus on the importance of the fight, other observations indicate the struggle against organized crime actually fractures the country, reflecting deep disagreements between authorities from different political parties [2].
Critics have also noted gaps in the proposed platforms. For example, some campaign programs emphasize the fight against crime but fail to mention the combat of corruption or the infiltration of criminal elements into the state apparatus [3, 4].
These political debates occur against a backdrop of high-intensity policing. In Rio de Janeiro, the Operação Contenção involved 2,500 agents [5]. The operation resulted in 121 deaths [5], including four police officers [5].
The complexity of the issue is often framed by the nature of the adversaries. Leonardo Sciascia is cited as describing the mafioso as an entrepreneur who cheats [3]. This perspective suggests that criminal organizations operate as illicit businesses rather than simple gangs.
“The mafioso is an entrepreneur who cheats.”
The elevation of organized crime to a central campaign pillar indicates that security has become a primary electoral driver in Brazil. However, the omission of state corruption from several platforms suggests a strategy of focusing on visible street-level crime rather than the systemic institutional failures that allow these factions to thrive.
