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Brazilians organize anti-corruption campaign, 2008-2009

Summary

From March 2008 to September 2009, the Movement to Combat Electoral Corruption (MCCE) led a nationwide campaign in Brazil to end political corruption through the passage of the “Ficha Limpa” bill. The campaign collected millions of signatures to present the bill to Congress via a popular initiative clause. The bill was eventually signed into law in June 2010, barring convicted politicians from running for office for eight years. [source: nv-database]

Tactics used

Tactics used

Background

Corruption is endemic to Brazilian politics, where convicted felons can run for office and elected officials are often caught accepting bribes. Although many politicians support anti-corruption measures, they were wary to sponsor such a bill after multiple reform bills failed in the National Congress. [source: nv-database]

What happened

In 2008, the MCCE, an umbrella group of over forty-three NGOs, took advantage of a popular initiative clause to present an anti-corruption bill to Congress if supported by signatures from at least one percent of the population [source: nv-database]. Judge Márlon Jacinto Reis devised the Ficha Limpa bill, which called for permanently banning anyone with pending corruption charges from running for office [source: nv-database]. For eighteen months, the MCCE collected signatures throughout the country, organizing on-the-ground campaigns and utilizing Twitter, Facebook, Orkut, and Avaaz.org for online mobilization [source: nv-database]. In September 2009, the MCCE forwarded between 1.3-1.7 million names to Congress, plus 3 million more online [source: nv-database]. Congressman Antonio Carlos Biscaia sponsored the bill on September 29, and President Lula signed it into law on June 4, 2010, effective June 7 [source: nv-database]. The law barred politicians convicted by a group of judges after exhausting all appeals from running for office for eight years, and applied retroactively [source: nv-database]. The Brazilian Supreme Court upheld the law on February 16, 2012, and that October, 317 mayoral candidates were barred from running under Ficha Limpa [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Movement to Combat Electoral Corruption (MCCE)
  • Judge Márlon Jacinto Reis
  • Avaaz.org
  • Congressman Antonio Carlos Biscaia
  • President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The campaign achieved its goal when the Ficha Limpa law was passed and upheld by the Supreme Court, barring many convicted politicians from office. The success was due to massive signature collection and effective online mobilization. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • Using a popular initiative clause can bypass legislative reluctance when there is strong public support.
  • Combining on-the-ground signature drives with online platforms can amplify reach and pressure on lawmakers.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-07-04 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

Last verified: 2026-07-09