Faced with the looming threat that right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro could soon win the second-round of elections and become the next president of Brazil, hundreds of economists from across the country and around the globe have joined forces to declare their support for Fernando Haddad, the Workers' Party candidate, in order to save the nation's democracy and protect "essential values" like social inclusion, peace, and equal protection under the law.

"We believe that democracy, search for peace, individual freedoms, plurality of opinions, tackling prejudice and inequalities (of income, race, regional and gender) are non-negotiable and essential values." —Declaration of Economists in Support of Brazilian Democracy While not all signers of the declaration against Bolsonaro necessarily agree with every bit of Haddad's economic plan, they warn that a victory by the nation's regressive and far-right forces puts "Brazilian democracy and the institutions of the rule of Law" at stake.

According to Brazilian-American social scientist Luísa Abbott Galvão in a piece posted to Common Dreams Monday, the Bolsonaro campaign was built on his "disdain for democracy and glorification of authoritarianism."

The candidate, Galvão explained, has "gained infamy worldwide for past comments praising torturers and for asserting during a 1999 televised appearance that the Brazilian dictatorship should have executed 'at least 30,000' people. As a presidential candidate, Bolsonaro has called for political opponents to be shot, promised to deny the legitimacy of any election results that don't declare him the winner, and refused to partake in debates ahead of the general elections."

Additionally worrying, she added, is the manner in which the preferred candidate of the nation's wealthy and powerful elite "has capitalized on Brazil's deep economic and social inequality to push for an agenda that will undoubtedly drive even bigger rifts into the Brazilian socioeconomic fabric and further disenfranchise the country's most vulnerable people."

Posted in Portuguese here and in English below, the declaration signed by the hundreds of economists states: "We believe that democracy, search for peace, individual freedoms, plurality of opinions, tackling prejudice and inequalities (of income, race, regional and gender) are non-negotiable and essential values."

Read the full declaration and list of signatories below.

Declaration of Economists in Support of Brazilian Democracy

The signatories of this declaration have varying positions on economics; some, in fact, are outright critics of the economic policy adopted by the Workers' Party (PT) administrations. That said, what is at stake now is Brazilian democracy and the institutions of the Rule of Law.

We believe that democracy, search for peace, individual freedoms, plurality of opinions, tackling prejudice and inequalities (of income, race, regional and gender) are non-negotiable and essential values.

Therefore, it is imperative to have a position regarding the choice of the next Brazilian President. Fernando Haddad is, in this second round, the best alternative to ensure respect for these values.

We accordingly sign this declaration in support of his candidacy for political and economic stability, environmentally-sustainable development, social inclusion, and the fight against corruption. To ensure these democratic ends, we will maintain a critical and vigilant stance towards the elected government of Brazil in 2018.

Economistas que atuam no Brasil – Adesões iniciais

André M. Cunha

André Nassif

Adriana Amado

André Chagas

André Roncaglia

Antônio Correa de Lacerda

Arthur Amorim Bragança

Bernard Appy

Carlos Eduardo Carvalho

Carmen Feijó

Cristina Fróes de Borja Reis

Daniel Cerqueira

Daniela Magalhães Prates

Dante Aldrighi

Darlene Dias

David Kupfer

Eduardo Correia de Souza

Eliane Cristina Araújo

Esther Dweck

Eustáquio Reis

Fernanda G. Cardoso

Frederico Gonzaga Jayme Jr.

Geraldo Biasoto Jr.

Gilberto Tadeu Lima

Hedibert Freitas Lopes

Joaquim P. Andrade

João Sayad

José Heleno Faro

José Luis Oreiro

José Roberto Afonso

Júlio Sergio Gomes de Almeida

Laura Carvalho

Leda Maria Paulani

Lena Lavinas

Leonardo Weller

Lucia Helena Salgado

Luciano Coutinho

Luiz Carlos Bresser Pereira

Luiz Gonzaga de Mello Belluzzo

Luiz Fernando de Paula

Manoel Carlos de Castro Pires

Marcia Bezerra

Marcio Favilla Lucca de Paula

Maria Luiza Falcão

Maria Sylvia Saes

Marta Castilho

Mauro Boianovsky

Monica Viegas

Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho

Nelson Marconi

Nelson Henrique Barbosa Filho

Paulo Furquim de Azevedo

Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr.

Ramon Garcia Fernandez

Reynaldo Fernandes

Ricardo Carneiro

Rudinei Toneto Jr

Sérgio Gobetti

Thiago Fonseca Morello

Economistas que atuam no Brasil

Aderbal Oliveira Damasceno

Adhemar Mineiro

Adriana Nunes Ferreira

Adroaldo Quintela

Afrânio Garcia Jr.

Alberto Di Sabbato

Alain Herscovici

Alexis Toríbio Dantas

Aline Souza Magalhães

Amanda de Albuquerque

Ana Célia Castro

AnaCecília Milagres

Ana Flávia Machado

Ana Maria Hermeto C. de Oliveira

Ana Urraca Ruiz

André Martins Biancarelli

André de Melo Modenesi

André Mourthe de Oliveira

André Nassif

Andréa Simone Rente Leão

Andrés Ferrari Haines

Anna Mortara

Beatriz Macchione Saes

Bernardo P. Campolina Diniz

Betty Nogueira Rocha

Biancca Castro

Bruno M. de Conti

Camila Kimie Ugino

Carolina T. Baltar

Carlos A. Medeiros

Carlos Gadelha

Carlos Henrique Lopes Rodrigues

Carlos Mielitz

Cássio Garcia Ribeiro

Clélio Campolina Diniz

Cristiane Garcez

Cristina Lemos

Daniele da Rocha Faria

Débora Freire

Denis Maracci Gimenez

Denise Gentil

Ebenézer Pereira Couto

Edison Rodrigues Barreto Jr

Eduardo Costa Pinto

Elena Soihet

Eliana Ribeiro da Silva

Enéas G. de Carvalho

Ernani Torres

Fabio Sá Earp

Fábio Terra

Fabricio Missio

Flávio Azevedo Marques de Saes

Fernando Amorim Teixeira

Francisco de Assis Costa

Francisco Luiz C. Lopreato

Frederico Mazzucchelli

Gabriela Freitas da Cruz

George Flexor

Gilberto de Assis Libânio

Guilherme Delgado

Guilherme Grandi

Gustavo Britto

Helena Lastres

Henrique Tahan Novaes

Hugo Eduardo A. da G. Cerqueira

Igor Briguiet

Ilmar Ferreira Silva

Isabela Nogueira

Jennifer Hermann

João Hallak Neto

João Romero

João Saboia

José Carlos Braga

José Celso Cardoso Jr

José Eduardo Cassiolato

Jose Gabriel Porcile Meirelles

José Jorge Gebara

José Sergio Leite Lopes

Kaio Vital da Costa

Karina Kato

Laura Schiavon

Lauro Mattei

Leon Santiago Mendes Suhett

Leonardo Marco Muls

Lilian Nogueira Rolim

Lourival Batista de Oliveira Júnior

Luiz Antônio Elias

Luiz Martins de Melo

Mauro Boianovsky

Marcos Antônio Macedo Cintra

Marcelo Miterhof

Márcio Wohlers

Margarita Silvia Olivera

Margarida Batista

Maria Antonieta Del Tedesco Lins

Maria Carolina Capistrano

Maria Cristina Penido de Freitas

Maria de Lourdes Rollemberg Mollo

Maria Luiza Falcão Silva

Maria Luiza Levi

Mariana Ribeiro Jansen Ferreira

Marina Sequetto Pereira

Mario Marcos Sampaio Rodarte

Maryse Farhi

Mateus Girafa Lachtermacher

Mauricio Borges Lemos

Mauricio Muniz

Mauro Arruda

Mauro Osório

Miguel Bruno

Milena Fernandes de Oliveira

Nathalia Crissia Posena

Niemeyer Almeida Filho

Nilson Maciel de Paula

Nina Quintanilha Araújo

Norberto Montani Martins

Paula Alexandra Nazareth

Paulo Baltar

Paulo Guimarães

Paulo Sérgio Fracalanza

Pedro Amaral

Peter May

Raquel A. Ramos

Renata Lèbre La Rovere

Renata Lins

René de Carvalho

Ricardo Henriques

Ricardo Machado Ruiz

Ricardo Meilman Cohn

Ricardo Schaeffer

Roberto Vermulm

Rogério Gomes

Sandro Augusto Viégas Leão

Simone Deos

Thiago Mandarino

Ulisses Pereira dos Santos

Vitor Pereira

Walter Tadahiro Shima

Wilnês Henrique

Zina Angélica Cáceres Benavides

Economistas que atuam no exterior

George Akerlof, USA – Prêmio Nobel em Economia, 2001

Adam Aboobaker , USA

Agnès Labrousse, França

Ajit Zacharias, USA

Alan Cibils, Argentina

Alberto Botta, UK

Alessandro Caiani, Itália

Alexander Guschanski, UK

Alfredo Saad Filho, UK

Amit Bhaduri, Índia

Amitava Krishna Dutt, USA

Andrea Califano , Itália

Andrea Roventini, Itália

Angel Vilariño Sanz, Espanha

Anne Eydoux, França

Annina Kaltenbunner, UK

Antoine Mandel, França

Antonella Stirati, Itália

Avinash Persaud, UK

Barbara Fritz , Alemanha

Bernhard Leubolt, Bélgica

Bhola Khan, Nigéria

Bill Black, USA

Brittany Nicole McGhee, Alemanha

Bruno Bonizzi, UK

Bruno Thèret, França

Byasdeb Dasgupta, Índia

C.P. Chandrasekhar, India

Carlo D’Ippoliti, Itália

Carlos A. Carrasco, Mexico

Carlos Mielitz, Itália

Carmen Diana Deere, USA

Christian Gehrke, Áustria

Claire Pignol, França

Dani Rodrik, USA

Daria Pignalosa, Itália

Dominique Plihon

Edwin Le Heron, França

Eileen Appelbaum, USA

Eric Berr, França

Eugenio Caverzasi, Itália

Federico Tamagni, Itália

Fiona Tregenna, África do Sul

Francisco Louçã, Portugal

Fred Mosseley, UK

Frido Wenten, UK

Gary Dymski, UK

Gennaro Zezza, Itália

Gerald Epstein, USA

Giorgio Fagiolo, Itália

Giovanni Villavicencio, México

Ha-Joon Chang, UK

Hee-Young Shin, USA

Hulya Dagdeviren, UK

Heinz D. Kurz, Áustria

Ilhan Dögüs, Alemanha

Ilias Alami, Holanda

Imko Meyenburg, UK

Ingo Schmidt, Canadá

Isabel Ortiz, USA

Iván Velásquez, USA

Jaime Marques Pereira

Jaime Ros, México

James Galbraith, USA

Jan Kregel, USA

Jan Priewe, Alemanha

Jayati Ghosh, Índia

Jean-François Ponsot, França

Jeff Madrick, USA

Jessica Sklair, UK

John Hall, USA

John Williamson, USA

John Willoughby, USA

Jonathan Marie, França

Jorge Buzaglo, Suécia

Jorge Garcia-Arias, Espanha

Jorim Gerrard, França

Jose Gabriel Palma, UK

Juan Grigera, Argentina

Julimar Bichara, Espanha

Kevin Costa, França

Lance Taylor, USA

Leonardo E. Stanley, Argentina

Leslie Carnoye, França

Lionello Franco Punzo, Itália

Louison Cahen-Fourot, Áustria

Luana Ladu, Alemanha

Luca Zamparelli, Itália

Luis Bertola, Uruguay

Machiko Nissanke, UK

Manfred Max-Nee, Chile

Marco Mazzoli, Itália

Marco Missaglia, Itália

Marco Valente, Itália

Margarida Antunes, Portugal

Maria Cristina Barbieri Góes, Itália

Maria Cristina Marcuzzo, Itália

Maria Savona, UK

Marianna Mazzucato, UK

Mario Cassetti, Itália

Mario Tonveronachi, Itália

Mark Setterfield, USA

Mark Weisbrot, USA

Mary C. King, USA

Martha Carro Fernández, Espanha

Mathieu Beraud, França

Matías Vernengo, USA

Matteo Deleidi, Itália

Matthieu Montalban, França

Maurin Masselin, França

Mauro gallegati, Itália

Mauro Napoletano, França

Mauro Virgino de Sena e Silva, Inglaterra

Megan Ward, Alemanha

Michel Heinrich, Alemanha

Michael Lipton, UK

Michael Meeropol, USA

Michael Roberts, UK

Mogens Ove Madsen, Dinamarca

Monika Meireles, Mexico

Mritiunjoy Mohanty, Índia

Murat Yildizoglu, França

Natalya Naqvi, UK

Nathalie Coutinet, França

Nicolas Piluso, França

Nicolette Cattaneo, África do Sul

Nikolaos Karagiannis, USA

Noemi Levy Orlik, Mexico

Oscar Ugarteche, México

Ozlem Onaran, UK

Patricia E. Perkins, Canadá

Patrick Bond, África do Sul

Paul Hudson, USA

Paul Mason, UK

Peter Dorman, USA

Philip Arestis, UK

Philippe Légé, França

Pierre Salama, França

Stephany Griffith-Jones, UK

Richard Parker, USA

Robert A. Blecker, USA

Roberto Frenkel, Argentina

Robert Guttmann, França

Roberto Veneziani, UK

Robin Hahnel, USA

Robin King , USA

Rodrigo Adão, USA

Sebastian Gechert, Alemanha

Sergio Cesaratto, Itália

Steven Fazzari , USA

Sunanda Sen, Índia

Susanne Soederberg, Canadá

Terry McKinley, UK

Thierry Kirat, França

Thomas Palley, USA

Thorvaldur Gylfason, Islândia

Torsten Niechoj, Alemanha

Valpy FitzGerald, UK

Venkatesh Athreya, Índia

Victor Manuel Isidro Luna, México

Yanis Varoufakis, Grécia

Yilmaz Akyüz, Suiça