CONFERENCE
Democracy, Justice and Constitutionalism in the Digital Era
First International Conference on Law and Politics (CONIDP)
5-6 August 2025
Brazilian Bar Association – Alagoas Chapter (OAB/AL)
Alagoas, Brazil
Organisers: Ingrid Dantas, Luciana Santana and Elaine Pimentel
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The International Conference on Law and Politics (CONIDP) is a pioneering event organized by the Brazilian Bar Association – Alagoas Chapter, in partnership with the Federal University of Alagoas and the Government of the State of Alagoas, in collaboration with the International Society of Public Law.
Held on 5-6 August 2025, CONIDP centered on the theme ‘Democracy, Justice, and Constitutionalism in the Digital Age’, with the goal of fostering high-level debates on contemporary issues in Public Law and Political Science, through a critical and interdisciplinary approach committed to understanding current democratic challenges at both national and comparative levels.
The event was designed for members of the legal profession, researchers, and students in the fields of Law and Political Science, as well as public officials, members of the justice system, and others interested in the intersections between politics, institutions, and the legal order. Over the course of two days, the conference welcomed over 400 participants.
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The conference featured speakers from diverse perspectives, integrating theoretical and practical approaches to the analysis of contemporary democratic challenges. Participants included national and international scholars in Constitutional Law and Political Science, as well as State Secretaries, political authorities, and members of the justice system, including a former Justice of the Superior Electoral Court.
Professor Tom Daly, Director of DEM-DEC, together with Professor Evan Rosevear, delivered the keynote lectures of the Conference. Daly’s talk, ‘From Constitutional Repair to Democratic Resilience: Brazil in Comparative Perspective’, addressed urgent questions about Brazil’s current democratic context, its comparative dialogue with countries facing similar challenges — such as India, the United States, Poland, Hungary, South Korea, and Indonesia — and institutional design proposals offering both hope and practical direction for a better future.
The closing session was led by Professor Magna Inácio, Secretary-General of the Latin American Political Science Association.
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TUESDAY 5 AUGUST
Plenaries
Auditorium
6pm – Registration and Welcome
7pm – Opening Ceremony
7:30pm – Keynote Lectures
Chair: Ingrid Dantas
Speakers:
Tom Daly, University of Melbourne – From Constitutional Repair to Democratic Resilience: Brazil in Comparative Perspective
Evan Rosevear, University of Southampton – Courts, Constitutions, and the Spirit of Liberty
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Working Groups
Council Room
9am – Inequalities and Resistance Inside and Outside the Digital Environment
4pm – Digital Democracy, Economic Power, and Disinformation
School of Advanced Advocacy Room
9am – Environmental Catastrophes, Climate Governance, and Challenges for Socio-environmental Justice
4pm – Violations of Fundamental Rights, Reconfigurations of Authoritarianism, and Public Security
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WEDNESDAY 6 AUGUST
Plenaries
Auditorium
9am - Panel: The Justice System and the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence
Chair: Nathália Peixoto, Director of Technology, OAB/AL
Speakers:
João Paulo Allain Teixeira, Federal University of Pernambuco
Ricardo Schneider, Prosecutor, Alagoas Public Accounts Prosecutor's Office
Juliana Dantas, Federal University of Alagoas
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10:10am - Panel: Lawfare, Judicialization of Politics, and the Democratic Rule of Law
Chair: Denarcy Souza, Lawyer
Speakers:
Daniel Bogéa, University of New South Wales
Leon Victor de Queiroz Barbosa, Federal University of Pernambuco
Discussant: Nathália Catão, Municipal Prosecutor
11:20am - Panel: Challenges for Equity in National and Comparative Perspectives
Chair: Elaine Pimentel, Federal University of Alagoas
Speakers:
Andréa Lopes, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro
Rodrigo Fuziger, Mackenzie Presbyterian University of São Paulo
Break
2:30pm - Panel: Democracy, Elections, and Political Polarization
Chair: Daniel Brabo, Electoral Lawyer
Speakers:
Maria Claudia Bucchianeri Pinheiro, Superior Electoral Court (TSE)
Wendel Palhares, Secretary of Communication, Government of the State of Alagoas
José Jance Grangeiro, Coordinator, Information Integrity Center, Government of the State of Alagoas
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3:40pm - Panel: Public Authorities in Safeguarding the Democratic Rule of Law
Chair: Elder Maia, Federal University of Alagoas
Speakers:
Vitor Pereira, Secretary of Government of the State of Alagoas
Luciana Santana, Federal University of Alagoas
Alexandre Ayres, State Deputy and Former Secretary of Health of the State of Alagoas
Discussant: Candice Almeida, Communication Advisor, Federal Public Prosecutor's Office
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5pm - Closing Lecture: Beyond Polarization and Disinformation - Challenges and Perspectives for Brazil's Future
Chair: Ingrid Dantas
Speaker:
Magna Inácio, Secretary-General, Latin American Political Science Association
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
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Evan Rosevear is a lecturer in public law at the University of Southampton, UK and a Deputy Secretary-General of the International Society of Public Law (ICON•S). His research lies at the intersection of comparative law and comparative politics, focusing on national constitutions and domestic legal systems, particularly courts. It is guided by a desire to understand how courts, rights, and constitutions operate and interact with other state and non-state actors as well as whether and when they are capable of fostering or facilitating social and political change. Prior to Southampton, he was a Global Academic Fellow at the University Hong Kong and has been a visiting researcher at the Centre for Justice and Society (CJUS) at FGV Direito-Rio and the South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Public and International Law (SAIFAC) at the University of Johannesburg. He holds a PhD in political science and a JD from the University of Toronto.
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Tom Daly is a Professor at Melbourne Law School in Australia, Convenor of the Constitution Transformation Network at Melbourne, and Director of the online research hub Demoptimism. He has conducted comparative research on democratic backsliding for the past decade and his presentation relates to his growing focus on constitutional repair after backsliding and democratic resilience. His main focus countries are Brazil, the USA, Poland, India and Indonesia. His talk is informed by a recently-published article on constitutional repair after backsliding in the American Journal of Comparative Law and a recent consultant report on designing more resilient institutions, for the intergovernmental organisation International IDEA. An Irish citizen, he has worked in a wide range of countries and world regions, including academic and consultancy work in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.
RELATED
CLOSING SPEAKER
For related discussion, see the Constitutional Repair and Redesigning Democracy sections here on Demoptimism.
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Magna Inácio holds a PhD and is a researcher and professor of Political Science at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). She has been a visiting professor at Stanford University and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Elected Secretary-General of the Latin American Political Science Association, she is also editor of the PEX-Network blog. She is currently conducting research on presidents and presidencies. Her research interests include coalition governments, the institutional presidency, the executive branch, and legislatures in Brazil and Latin America.
interview with EVENT CO-organiser dr ingrid dantas
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Ingrid holds a PhD in Law from the University of Brasília (UnB) and a Master's degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). A professor of Constitutional and Electoral Law, her research focuses on the dialogue between comparative constitutional law and political science, with an emphasis on institutional analysis in contexts of democratic weakening. She served as Deputy Director-General of the Alagoas School of Law (2025-2027) and was President of the Legal Education Committee of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB/AL) (2022-2024). She also served as an advisor to the Office of the Chief of Staff and Institutional Relations of the State of Minas Gerais. She is a consulting attorney specializing in electoral, party, and public law, building a career committed to critical thinking and democratic preservation.
IN THE MEDIA
The conference received significant media attention, including:
