From the sun-soaked beaches of Copacabana to the rain-drenched upper reaches of the Amazon, more than 10 million Brazilians went to the polls to vote on how powerful the country's presidency should be. In September 1961, after Jânio Quadros' petulant resignation and flight, Brazil's conservatives had imposed a power-splitting parliamentary system as a condition for accepting Quadros' successor, Vice President Joao ("Jango") Goulart, whom they feared as a dangerous demagogue and leftist. Last week by a 5-to-1 margin, Brazilians rendered a vote of no confidence in the parliamentary system and ordered a...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
