José Saramago - Ensaio Sobre A Lucidez

In an unspecified country, an electoral process unfolds with complete normality. At the end of the day, once the votes are counted, it is found that in the capital, around 70% of voters cast blank ballots. When the elections are repeated the following Sunday, the number of blank votes surpasses 80%.

Fearful and suspicious, the government, instead of questioning the reasons voters might have for voting blank, decides to launch a vast police operation to discover the infectious source that is undermining its political base and eliminate it. And thus begins a process of violent rupture between the political power and the people, whose interests it is supposedly meant to serve, not confront.