The corruption of democracy: Corruption scandals, class alliances, and political authoritarianism in Brazil.

• The administrations led by the Brazilian Workers' Party were severely limited. • Corruption scandals served to delegitimize a Brazilian left-wing administration. • President Dilma Rousseff was ousted in a judicial-parliamentary-media-led coup. • The election of Jair Bolsonaro exemplifies authoritarian neoliberalism in Brazil. • Brazil risks slipping into constitutional crisis and a politics of violence. This article examines the rise of authoritarian neoliberalism in Brazil. The study draws upon a review of the achievements and limitations of the federal administrations led by the Workers' Party (PT, 2003–2016), and the political forces pushing for the overthrow of President Dilma Rousseff. In sequence, the article examines the economic drivers and the social composition of the right-wing forces massing against the PT, and their relationship with allegation of corruption. Finally, the article outlines the political process driving the election of President Jair Bolsonaro, in order to conclude that Brazilian democracy is disintegrating rapidly and, possibly, irreversibly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]