The backstage of presidential elections in Brazil

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "The backstage of presidential elections in Brazil"

Transcription

1 The backstage of presidential elections in Brazil NorLARNet analysis, Yuri Kasahara, Research Fellow, Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo General elections in Brazil are approaching and politicians get busy establishing deals. Although the candidates will not be officially announced until July, it is already clear who are the main contenders. This will be a rerun of the past three presidential elections, with President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva s Worker s Party (PT), a now center-left party, and the Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( PSDB), a center-right one, once more dividing the stage. However, even if the Brazilian party system seems to consolidate at the national level around two leading players, there is still room for important supporting actors. It seems likely that Dilma Rousseff (PT) President Lula s chief of staff and José Serra (PSDB) current governor of São Paulo, Brazil s richest and most populous state will be the main protagonists of the campaign. Both candidates are expected to obtain a considerable share of the votes and, eventually, be the candidates for a second ballot. As an underdog, it is already certain that Marina Silva, former minister of the environment during Lula s administration and a senator for the Green Party (PV), will run for the presidency. Although it is not sure so far, another possible candidate is Ciro Gomes a former minister of Lula s administration and a national deputy for the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). Neither is expected to get a significant share of the national votes. However, their votes can make a difference as the polls so far point out a tight race between Ms. Rousseff and Mr. Serra. Beyond the PT-PSDB divide Although the PT and the PSDB have achieved the presidency in the last four elections, neither of them was close to have a majority of legislators either in the Chamber of Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados) or the Senate. Due to its proportional electoral rules with open-lists and a federalist system, Brazil s party system has a record of party fragmentation (see Table 1). Currently, 21 parties are represented in the Chamber of Deputies, with the five largest parties controlling 325 of its 513

2 seats. In the Senate, 14 parties hold at least one senatorial seat and the five largest parties control 62 of its 81 seats. In such a scenario, the charismatic President Lula s party, PT, for instance, currently holds only 79 deputies and 9 senators. When Fernando Henrique Cardoso was reelected in 1998 without a second ballot, the PSDB performed better having 99 deputies and 16 senators. Nonetheless, that number was far away from the required single majority of votes in both chambers to approve a regular bill, as the annual budget, and even further from the three-fifths necessary to pass a constitutional change. Thus, in such a fragmented party system, Brazilian presidents are doomed to form broad legislative coalitions in order to pass substantial reforms or bills. In the past governments, the logic behind the process of coalition building has been guided by two principles: ideological affinity and patronage. Concerning the former, the PT and the PSDB have their preferential partners in the ideological spectrum of Brazilian politics. Smaller leftist parties such as the Brazilian Communist Party (PC do B), the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) and the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) have been preferential coalition members in the legislative during the time the PT holds the presidency, and, before that, they were opposition parties during the PSDB s governments. On the right side of the spectrum, the Democrats (DEM) 1 was an important member of the legislative coalition during the two consecutive presidencies of Fernando Henrique Cardoso and has been a systematic member of opposition during President Lula s administrations. On the other hand, patronage has been a strong incentive to parties that lack clear political positions to join governmental coalitions. The so-called centrist parties, such as the Progressive Party (PP), the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB), and the Republic s Party (PR) are the preferential targets of this strategy, as they mainly survive through the charisma and clientelistic practices of regional and local politicians. The tools used by presidents to bring centrist parties to their legislative coalition range from the traditional offer of ministerial and other official positions to plain pork barrel politics in budget negotiations. Being part of the government allows those parties to attract deputies and senators from smaller parties, what increases their bargain power and allows them to survive the next election. 2 Although these parties are heavily criticized for their narrow-minded pragmatism and chameleonic political goals, they are crucial legislative allies to presidents. Without luring them into a coalition, a president would not be able to govern based only on his partiy s own representatives and ideological allies. Table 1 Distribution of seats in the Chamber of Deputies after the elections Party DEM (former PFL) PSDB PMDB PP (former PPB) PT PDT PTB Before 2007, the Democrats were named the Liberal Front Party (PFL). 2 A strong example of this dynamic is the Republic s Party. After the 2006 elections, it had 25 deputies and increased this number to 42 in 2009 as it has been a sound ally of Lula s administration.

3 PSB PPS PR (fusion of PL and PRONA in 2007) PC do B Others Total Source: Câmara dos Deputados ( However, the cost of bringing such parties into a coalition varies according to their size and political perspectives. Small and medium parties that heavily depend on the resources managed by the federal government tend to have a smaller bargain power and quite often are willing to participate in a coalition even if not necessarily as a part of the presidential cabinet. President Lula, for instance, adopted during his first mandate a strategy of building a broad and heterogeneous coalition mainly composed of small and medium sized parties. Conversely, big parties ask a much higher price, as they request considerable participation in the cabinet and several positions in the administration. Among all the parties that would fit in this fluid centrist category, the one that could be considered a big party and has been playing a more relevant role during the last 20 years is the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). As a direct successor of the official opposition party (MDB) during the authoritarian regime imposed by the military between 1964 and 1985, the PMDB works as a confederation of regional politicians and has a very heterogeneous political ideology, which ranges from conservatism to social liberalism. It has never won the presidency since the direct elections were reestablished in 1989, but its steady command of a significant number of seats in Congress has given its representatives a relevant place in presidential cabinets during the last four administrations. President Lula, for instance, invested a lot of political capital in bringing the PMDB into his coalition during his first mandate. However, he was only partially successful due to the resistance from his own party, PT, which considered such an alliance to result in loss of important ministries and to give space to controversial politicians in the government, and from factions of the PMDB that were either closely related to the previous administration of Fernando Henrique Cardoso or wanted to maintain an independent position. After his reelection in 2006, Lula finally imposed his will over his party and lured PMDB s main factions to be a full coalition members. In exchange for its full support, the PMDB increased its share from three to six ministries. 5 Besides being in control of a considerable number of seats in the Legislative, the PMDB has another important attraction to presidents in office. Because of its size, the PMDB is an important electoral partner due to two important assets during elections: control of an important share of radio and television airtime, and access to local governments. In Brazil, during the campaign period, parties 3 The number of political parties with at least one representative varies a lot along the years, as old ones are extinct or merged, and new ones are created. In 1998, this category included 6 parties; in 2002, 7 parties; and in 2006, 9 parties. 4 In 2006, the Green Party (PV) and the Social Christian Party had elected 13 and 9 representatives, respectively. This unexpected result explains the surge in the number of representatives from small parties. 5 Currently the PMDB holds the following ministries: Health, Defense, Communications, Regional Integration, Energy, and Agriculture.

4 have free airtime in television and radios, and this time is divided between the candidates based on the number of seats each party occupies in the Chamber of Deputies. 6 Considering the PMDB s congressional power, and the fact that any other kind of paid advertisement on TV and radio is forbidden, presidential candidates are eager to forge an electoral coalition with it. The PMDB also has a respectable political machine in different states and municipalities around the country. They have governors in nine of the twenty seven states and mayors in the municipalities in Brazil. The widespread distribution of these positions in different regions of Brazil confers the PMDB a reach to electors in different parts of the country what is crucial to a candidate disputing a national-wide election. Therefore, President Lula s effort to make the PMDB an electoral partner for this year s presidential race is not unreasonable. The limited political experience of PT s candidate, Dilma Rousseff she has never ran for an election before and her lack of charisma and oratory skills are clear liabilities, which make the resources provided by the PMDB even more important. With more airtime and hustlings around the country to show herself to the public, Ms. Rousseff hopes to succeed. The other name on the ticket The price that Ms. Rouseff will pay for this partnership is the vice-presidency and a more prominent role in a future presidential cabinet rumors say that the PMDB could even control the powerful Ministry of Treasury (Ministério da Fazenda). The negotiations between the PT and the PMDB to pick Ms. Rousseff running mate have not concluded yet, but it looks likely that Michel Temer, current speaker of the House and PMDB s national president, will fill in the ticket. If it does not happen, the odds are that a heavy-weight member from the PMDB, with a strong influence in the party, will occupy the post. By itself, such an agreement does not represent a novelty in Brazilian politics; during two consecutive administrations, former President Cardoso had established a smooth relationship with Marco Maciel, his vice-president during the period from the DEM. In that period, both politicians were experienced and had a quite clear idea of the role each one should play. In case of a victory of Ms. Rousseff, however, two different scenarios can be envisioned. In the first, a more benign one, Mr. Temer will play a discreet role and use his position to help an inexperienced Ms. Rousseff to manage her legislative coalition. In a second one, Mr. Temer could play a more disruptive role, as he could use his position and influence to increase his party s ability to concede political favors and resources of patronage. Whichever scenario prevails, one can expect a more active and visible vice-presidency in case of a new PT administration. For Mr. Temer and his party, an eventual defeat in the presidential election would not prove to be disastrous neither. As it is likely that his party will keep an important number of seats in both legislative houses, it is almost certain that whoever becomes president will bring the PMDB into the government. For the PSDB, the negotiations to choose Mr. Serra s partner has up to now been a source of anxiety. The political influence of its main electoral partner and a natural provider of a vice-president candidate, the DEM, has gradually diminished in the last years. Although the DEM still has a relevant role in Congress and in some states, the party s last electoral performances have been disappointing. 6 Normally, all parties have in total two hours of advertisement everyday, except Sundays, during the period of the campaign one hour for the radio and one hour for television, and the advertisements are aired in slots of 30 minutes along the day. One third of the time is divided equally among all the candidates, and the other two thirds are divided by the number of seats each party or electoral coalition has in the Chamber of Deputies after the last election.

5 In the last three national elections it saw its number of seats in Congress decrease considerably. In 2006, the party only won a single gubernatorial election. For 2010, its electoral prospects are not favourable neither. The ageing of its main political leaders heavily related to practices of patronage and clientelism and its ferocious right-wing criticism of Lula s administration contributed to reducing the electoral appeal of the party. To make things worse the party currently is in disarray after a recent corruption scandal involving its only governor, José Arruda from Distrito Federal. Mr. Arruda was videotaped receiving off the books campaign contributions in December 2009 and was arrested for almost three months after interfering in the investigations. With the public image of the DEM badly damaged, the PSDB has been looking for a vice-president in its own ranks. PSDB has been dreaming about the young and popular governor of Minas Gerais state, Aécio Neves, as Serra s running mate. For the PSDB, his name on the ticket would carry an important number of votes due to his high levels of popularity in Minas Gerais, the second most populous state in Brazil, as his approval rates are as high as President Lula s. However, Mr. Neves considered up to a month ago a potential presidential candidate himself announced that he would run for a seat in the Senate instead. Although many PSDB leaders still try to convince Mr. Neves to change his mind, apparently he has decided that pursuing a senatorial position better suits his own presidential ambitions. Staying for four years and possibly eight in Mr. Serra s shadow would not help him much. And in case of a Serra s defeat, being out of the national political scene would be even worse. In this context, the PSDB has to choose between an innocuous vice-president candidate and an appealing one that will have strong desires to share the spotlights with Mr. Serra. Surely, when the campaign officially starts in July, all the attention will be on the presidential candidates and their proposals for the next four years. Nevertheless, the candidates will not be making efforts only to charm the voters. Their success in the race and its aftermath will depend also on their ability to deal with the complex network of interests between parties and within their own ranks. As many analysts talk about a duopoly in national politics between the PT and the PSDB, it is important to remember that in the complex Brazilian political system, a president, or a party, does not govern alone.

A new political force in Brazil?

A new political force in Brazil? A new political force in Brazil? NorLARNet analysis, 3 May 2010 Torkjell Leira* (Translated from Norwegian) Five months from now there will be presidential elections in Brazil. The battle will stand between

More information

Brazil: Low inflation and a longer easing cycle

Brazil: Low inflation and a longer easing cycle Economic and Financial Analysis 15 March 2018 Article 15 March 2018 Global Economics Brazil: Low inflation and a longer easing cycle Recent data shows economic growth remains solid, but inflation has surprised

More information

FACHIN S LIST SOCIAL NETWORKS STRATEGIC ANALYSIS REPORT

FACHIN S LIST SOCIAL NETWORKS STRATEGIC ANALYSIS REPORT FACHIN S LIST SOCIAL NETWORKS STRATEGIC ANALYSIS REPORT 12/04/17 FACHIN S LIST In the first 24 hours, the traditional polarization between government and opposition gave way to a general criticism of the

More information

A DECISIVE YEAR IN BRAZIL Speaker Rodrigo Maia and Experts Address Crucial Choices Facing the Country in 2018

A DECISIVE YEAR IN BRAZIL Speaker Rodrigo Maia and Experts Address Crucial Choices Facing the Country in 2018 Brazil Institute January 2018 Image: Dante Laurini Jr/Wikimedia A DECISIVE YEAR IN BRAZIL Speaker Rodrigo Maia and Experts Address Crucial Choices Facing the Country in 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Although

More information

CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. Carlos Pío. Working Paper (WP) Nº 14/2004

CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. Carlos Pío. Working Paper (WP) Nº 14/2004 CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION Carlos Pío Working Paper (WP) Nº 14/2004 Challenges for the new administration (1) Carlos Pío (2) Brazil: Challenges for the New Administration Brazil s president,

More information

Brazil Election Preview

Brazil Election Preview Brazil Election Preview Luis Fernández de Mesa Portfolio Manager Pembroke EM LLP Executive Summary Elections are still too early to call Presidential election should go to run-off vote on October 28th

More information

Candidates, Voters, and Bots: The Forces at Play in the October 2018 Brazilian Elections

Candidates, Voters, and Bots: The Forces at Play in the October 2018 Brazilian Elections Brazil Institute September 2018 Candidates, Voters, and Bots: The Forces at Play in the October 2018 Brazilian Elections EXECUTIVE SUMMARY More than 140 million Brazilian voters will go to the polls on

More information

The Limits of a Quota Clara Araújo

The Limits of a Quota Clara Araújo The Limits of a Quota Clara Araújo Abstract: In this article I examine the case of Brazil which, unlike many other Latin American countries, is an example of quotas not working. Drawing on over ten years

More information

Agenda Setting and Gridlock in a Multiparty Coalitional Presidential System: The Case of Brazil

Agenda Setting and Gridlock in a Multiparty Coalitional Presidential System: The Case of Brazil University of Texas at El Paso From the SelectedWorks of Taeko Hiroi June, 2016 Agenda Setting and Gridlock in a Multiparty Coalitional Presidential System: The Case of Brazil Taeko Hiroi Lucio Renno Available

More information

The 2010 Brazilian Presidential Elections: Issues, Voter Demands, and Strategies. Wilson Center, Brazil Institute April 7th, Washington DC

The 2010 Brazilian Presidential Elections: Issues, Voter Demands, and Strategies. Wilson Center, Brazil Institute April 7th, Washington DC The 2010 Brazilian Presidential Elections: Issues, Voter Demands, and Strategies Wilson Center, Brazil Institute April 7th, Washington DC Talking Points The Players 16 Year Backdrop Proximate Context Campaign

More information

The Limits of Women s Quotas in Brazil

The Limits of Women s Quotas in Brazil The Limits of Women s Quotas in Brazil Clara Araújo Abstract In this article, I examine the case of Brazil which, unlike many other Latin American countries, is an example of where quotas are not working.

More information

THE 2015 REFERENDUM IN POLAND. Maciej Hartliński Institute of Political Science University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

THE 2015 REFERENDUM IN POLAND. Maciej Hartliński Institute of Political Science University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn East European Quarterly Vol. 43, No. 2-3, pp. 235-242, June-September 2015 Central European University 2015 ISSN: 0012-8449 (print) 2469-4827 (online) THE 2015 REFERENDUM IN POLAND Maciej Hartliński Institute

More information

37º Encontro Anual da ANPOCS; ST 04 - Comportamento Político Presidential Coattails in Coalitional Presidentialism

37º Encontro Anual da ANPOCS; ST 04 - Comportamento Político Presidential Coattails in Coalitional Presidentialism 37º Encontro Anual da ANPOCS; ST 04 - Comportamento Político Presidential Coattails in Coalitional Presidentialism André Borges (Universidade de Brasília) Mathieu Turgeon (Universidade de Brasília) 1 Past

More information

Navigating Brazil s Changing Political Landscape

Navigating Brazil s Changing Political Landscape Navigating Brazil s Changing Political Landscape David Fleischer Emeritus Professor of Political Science University of Brasília 55-61-99218-2771 e-mail: Fleischer@uol.com.br How Brazil s Economic & Political

More information

Power as Patronage: Russian Parties and Russian Democracy. Regina Smyth February 2000 PONARS Policy Memo 106 Pennsylvania State University

Power as Patronage: Russian Parties and Russian Democracy. Regina Smyth February 2000 PONARS Policy Memo 106 Pennsylvania State University Power as Patronage: Russian Parties and Russian Democracy Regina February 2000 PONARS Policy Memo 106 Pennsylvania State University "These elections are not about issues, they are about power." During

More information

Brazil presidential election Zurich, 31.October 2010

Brazil presidential election Zurich, 31.October 2010 Brazil presidential election Zurich, 31.October 2010 Gus Drew +41 44 515 00 10 research@arsago.com Implications of Dilma Rousseff s victory Summary 2 Rousseff s personal history 2 Fiscal and business outlook

More information

Governor Geraldo Alckmin of São Paulo on Brazil s Economic and Political Outlook in an Unpredictable Election Year

Governor Geraldo Alckmin of São Paulo on Brazil s Economic and Political Outlook in an Unpredictable Election Year Brazil Institute March 2018 Image: Andre Deak/Wikimedia Governor Geraldo Alckmin of São Paulo on Brazil s Economic and Political Outlook in an Unpredictable Election Year EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On Wednesday,

More information

Legislative Politics in Authoritarian Brazil

Legislative Politics in Authoritarian Brazil Legislative Politics in Authoritarian Brazil 287 SCOTT W. DESPOSATO University of California, Los Angeles Princeton University Legislative Politics in Authoritarian Brazil This paper provides the first

More information

1 Federal Supreme Court Justice. Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.

1 Federal Supreme Court Justice. Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. POLITICAL REFORM IN BRAZIL: POSSIBLE CONSENSUS AND THE MIDDLE GROUND Luís Roberto Barroso 1 I. INTRODUCTION A little less than 10 years ago, in 2006, I wrote and published a text with a proposal for political

More information

Unit 4 Test Bank Congress

Unit 4 Test Bank Congress Unit 4 Test Bank Congress 2) Which of the following did the framers of the Constitution conceive of as the center of policymaking in America? A) the President B) the people C) Congress D) the courts E)

More information

Campaign Strategy for Brazilian 2014 Presidential elections- Campos/Silva ticket

Campaign Strategy for Brazilian 2014 Presidential elections- Campos/Silva ticket Campaign Strategy for Brazilian 2014 Presidential elections- Campos/Silva ticket My campaign strategy is for Eduardo Campos, who will be running for president in the Brazilian elections this October. The

More information

Brazil s Presidential Election 2010: Foreign Policy Outlook. João Augusto de Castro Neves CAC Political Consultancy

Brazil s Presidential Election 2010: Foreign Policy Outlook. João Augusto de Castro Neves CAC Political Consultancy Brazil s Presidential Election 2010: Foreign Policy Outlook João Augusto de Castro Neves CAC Political Consultancy castroneves@analisepolitica.com Brazil Institute Woodrow Wilson Center for International

More information

COORDINATING NATIONAL DEFENSE PUBLIC POLICIES ANALYZING THE CASE OF BRAZIL

COORDINATING NATIONAL DEFENSE PUBLIC POLICIES ANALYZING THE CASE OF BRAZIL COORDINATING NATIONAL DEFENSE PUBLIC POLICIES ANALYZING THE CASE OF BRAZIL Marco Cepik http://lattes.cnpq.br/3923697331385475 CONTENTS 1. CONCEPTS 2. BRAZIL 3. CONCLUSION 1 CONCEPTS Security and Defense

More information

Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry. Chapter 8.

Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry. Chapter 8. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry Chapter 8 Political Parties The Meaning of Party Political Party: A team of men [and

More information

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying Chapter 12, you should be able to: 1. Describe the characteristics of our senators and representatives, and the nature of their jobs. 2. Explain what factors have the

More information

The open-list electoral system in Brazil

The open-list electoral system in Brazil Dados vol.3 no.se Rio de Janeiro 2007 The open-list electoral system in Brazil Jairo Nicolau Professor of Instituto Universitário de Pesquisas do Rio de Janeiro - IUPERJ E-mail: jnicolau@iuperj.br ABSTRACT

More information

Presidential Power and Party Behavior in the Legislature

Presidential Power and Party Behavior in the Legislature Presidential Power and Party Behavior in the Legislature Argelina Cheibub Figueiredo Departamento de Ciência Política - Universidade de Campinas Cebrap - Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento Fernando

More information

CHAPTER 9: Political Parties

CHAPTER 9: Political Parties CHAPTER 9: Political Parties Reading Questions 1. The Founders and George Washington in particular thought of political parties as a. the primary means of communication between voters and representatives.

More information

brazilianpoliticalsciencereview ARTICLE Career Choice and Legislative Reelection Evidence from Brazil and Colombia 1

brazilianpoliticalsciencereview ARTICLE Career Choice and Legislative Reelection Evidence from Brazil and Colombia 1 brazilianpoliticalsciencereview ARTICLE Career Choice and Legislative Reelection Evidence from Brazil and Colombia 1 Felipe Botero Andes University, Colombia e Lucio R. Rennó University of Brasília, Brazil

More information

Governmental Coalitions in Multiparty Presidentialism: The Brazilian Case ( )

Governmental Coalitions in Multiparty Presidentialism: The Brazilian Case ( ) Governmental Coalitions in Multiparty Presidentialism: The Brazilian Case (1988-2011) Andréa Marcondes de Freitas USP/CEBRAP Starting Point This project will examine how coalitions support the executive

More information

Info Pack Mexico s Elections

Info Pack Mexico s Elections Info Pack Mexico s Elections Prepared by Alonso Álvarez Info Pack Mexico s Elections Prepared by Alonso Álvarez TRT WORLD RESEARCH CENTRE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PREPARED BY Alonso ÁLVAREZ PUBLISHER TRT WORLD

More information

Allies or markets? What determines the ideological position of Brazilian political parties? 1

Allies or markets? What determines the ideological position of Brazilian political parties? 1 Allies or markets? What determines the ideological position of Brazilian political parties? 1 Soraia Marcelino Vieira soraiamarc@yahoo.com.br PhD candidate in Political Science at the Institute for Social

More information

connect the people to the government. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

connect the people to the government. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. Overriding Questions 1. How has the decline of political parties influenced elections and campaigning? 2. How do political parties positively influence campaigns and elections and how do they negatively

More information

Case Study Reports. IDEA Project PO /2401 Under contract January 8, 2012

Case Study Reports. IDEA Project PO /2401 Under contract January 8, 2012 Research and Dialogue on Programmatic Parties and Party Systems Case Study Reports IDEA Project PO 134-01/2401 Under contract 1011610 January 8, 2012 Herbert Kitschelt, Duke University, Principal Investigator

More information

Uncovering Truth: Promoting Human Rights in Brazil

Uncovering Truth: Promoting Human Rights in Brazil Uncovering Truth: Promoting Human Rights in Brazil Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro Coordinator Brazilian National Truth Commission An Interview with Cameron Parsons Providence, RI, 6 January 2012 Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro

More information

Brazil: election outlook

Brazil: election outlook Brazil: election outlook Managing the country s challenge of abundance 7 April 2010 Christopher Garman Director, Latin America (202) 903 0029 garman@eurasiagroup.net Main conclusions There is more at stake

More information

INTRODUCTION THE MEANING OF PARTY

INTRODUCTION THE MEANING OF PARTY C HAPTER OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION Although political parties may not be highly regarded by all, many observers of politics agree that political parties are central to representative government because they

More information

Name: Class: Date: ID: A

Name: Class: Date: ID: A Class: Date: Chapter 5 Test Matching IDENTIFYING KEY TERMS Match each item with the correct statement below. You will not use all the terms. Some terms may be used more than once. a. coalition b. political

More information

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH THE PRESIDENT S ROLES THE PRESIDENT S JOB. The Presidency. Chapter 13. What are the President s many roles?

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH THE PRESIDENT S ROLES THE PRESIDENT S JOB. The Presidency. Chapter 13. What are the President s many roles? THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH The Presidency Chapter 13 THE PRESIDENT S JOB DESCRIPTION What are the President s many roles? What are the formal qualifications necessary to become President? What issues have arisen

More information

Chapter Nine. Political Parties

Chapter Nine. Political Parties Chapter Nine Political Parties Political Parties A party is a group that seeks to by supplying them with a label (party identification), by which they are known to the electorate United States parties

More information

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON POLITICAL PARTY AND CAMPAIGN FINANCING. APPENDIX No. 1. Matrix for collection of information on normative frameworks

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON POLITICAL PARTY AND CAMPAIGN FINANCING. APPENDIX No. 1. Matrix for collection of information on normative frameworks COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON POLITICAL PARTY AND CAMPAIGN FINANCING APPENDIX No. 1 Matrix for collection of information on normative frameworks NAME OF COUNTRY AND NATIONAL RESEARCHER ST LUCIA CYNTHIA BARROW-GILES

More information

Political Parties. The drama and pageantry of national political conventions are important elements of presidential election

Political Parties. The drama and pageantry of national political conventions are important elements of presidential election Political Parties I INTRODUCTION Political Convention Speech The drama and pageantry of national political conventions are important elements of presidential election campaigns in the United States. In

More information

Unit V Test Congress and the President Practice Test

Unit V Test Congress and the President Practice Test Unit V Test Congress and the President Practice Test 1. The "revolving door" involves: (A) members of Congress who travel extensively between Washington D.C. and their home states (B) diplomats who engage

More information

Unit 4 Political Behavior

Unit 4 Political Behavior Unit 4 Political Behavior Ch. 11 Political Parties Roots of the Two-Party System The Development of the Political Parties, 1800 1824 Jacksonian Democracy, 1824 1860 The Golden Age, 1860 1932 The Modern

More information

Government study guide chapter 8

Government study guide chapter 8 Government study guide chapter 8 Vocabulary Party Competition: The battle of the parities for control of public offices. Ups and downs of the two major parties are one of the most important elements in

More information

The Partido dos. Trabalhadores: Still a Party of the Left? Wendy Hunter

The Partido dos. Trabalhadores: Still a Party of the Left? Wendy Hunter 2 The Partido dos Trabalhadores: Still a Party of the Left? Wendy Hunter The largest leftist party in Latin America, the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers Party, PT) has attracted much attention in the

More information

Political party major parties Republican Democratic

Political party major parties Republican Democratic Political Parties American political parties are election-oriented. Political party - a group of persons who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office. The two major parties in

More information

Political Parties in the United States (HAA)

Political Parties in the United States (HAA) Political Parties in the United States (HAA) Political parties have played an important role in American politics since the early years of the Republic. Yet many of the nation s founders did not approve

More information

The California Primary and Redistricting

The California Primary and Redistricting The California Primary and Redistricting This study analyzes what is the important impact of changes in the primary voting rules after a Congressional and Legislative Redistricting. Under a citizen s committee,

More information

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: Centrality, Context, and Implications *

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: Centrality, Context, and Implications * PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: Centrality, Context, and Implications * Olavo Brasil de Lima Junior * Published originally in Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais, volume 14, n. 40, June 1999, pp. 11-30. Translated

More information

How Parties Help Their Incumbents Win: Evidence from Spain

How Parties Help Their Incumbents Win: Evidence from Spain How Parties Help Their Incumbents Win: Evidence from Spain Elena Llaudet Harvard University APSA Conference August 29, 2013 Incumbency Advantage Incumbents are consistently found to have an electoral advantage

More information

THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: POSSIBLE CHANGES TO ITS ELECTORAL SYSTEM

THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: POSSIBLE CHANGES TO ITS ELECTORAL SYSTEM PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: POSSIBLE CHANGES TO ITS ELECTORAL SYSTEM BY JENNI NEWTON-FARRELLY INFORMATION PAPER 17 2000, Parliamentary Library of

More information

ONLINE APPENDIX for The Dynamics of Partisan Identification when Party Brands Change: The Case of the Workers Party in Brazil

ONLINE APPENDIX for The Dynamics of Partisan Identification when Party Brands Change: The Case of the Workers Party in Brazil ONLINE APPENDIX for The Dynamics of Partisan Identification when Party Brands Change: The Case of the Workers Party in Brazil Andy Baker Barry Ames Anand E. Sokhey Lucio R. Renno Journal of Politics Table

More information

What Is A Political Party?

What Is A Political Party? What Is A Political Party? A group of office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who identify with a group label and seek to elect to public office individuals who run under that label. Consist

More information

Popular Vote. Total: 77,734, %

Popular Vote. Total: 77,734, % PRESIDENTIAL 72: A CASE STUDY The 1972 election, in contrast to the extremely close contest of 1968, resulted in a sweeping reelection victory for President Nixon and one of the most massive presidential

More information

C H A P T E R 13. CHAPTER 13 The Presidency. What are the President s many roles? What are the formal qualifications necessary to become President?

C H A P T E R 13. CHAPTER 13 The Presidency. What are the President s many roles? What are the formal qualifications necessary to become President? Presentation Pro Magruder s American Government CHAPTER 13 The Presidency C H A P T E R 13 The Presidency SECTION 1 The President s Job Description SECTION 2 Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency

More information

AP US GOVERNMENT: CHAPER 7: POLITICAL PARTIES: ESSENTIAL TO DEMOCRACY

AP US GOVERNMENT: CHAPER 7: POLITICAL PARTIES: ESSENTIAL TO DEMOCRACY AP US GOVERNMENT: CHAPER 7: POLITICAL PARTIES: ESSENTIAL TO DEMOCRACY Before political parties, candidates were listed alphabetically, and those whose names began with the letters A to F did better than

More information

SECTION 1 The President s Job Description. SECTION 2 Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency

SECTION 1 The President s Job Description. SECTION 2 Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency C H A P T E R 13 The Presidency SECTION 1 The President s Job Description SECTION 2 Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency SECTION 3 Presidential Selection: The Framers Plan SECTION 4 Presidential

More information

Magruder s American Government

Magruder s American Government Presentation Pro Magruder s American Government C H A P T E R 13 The Presidency 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc. C H A P T E R 13 The Presidency SECTION 1 The President s Job Description SECTION 2 Presidential

More information

How do parties contribute to democratic politics?

How do parties contribute to democratic politics? Chapter Objectives Evaluate how political parties both contribute to and detract from democratic politics Trace the history of political parties in the U.S. and assess the contemporary system Compare and

More information

Political Parties Chapter Summary

Political Parties Chapter Summary Political Parties Chapter Summary I. Introduction (234-236) The founding fathers feared that political parties could be forums of corruption and national divisiveness. Today, most observers agree that

More information

L Ä N D E R B E R I C H T. Mass Protests and Political Gridlock

L Ä N D E R B E R I C H T. Mass Protests and Political Gridlock L Ä N D E R B E R I C H T Mass Protests and Political Gridlock B R A Z I L A M I D A C O R R U P T I O N S C A N D A L, E C O N O M I C C R I S I S A N D T H E I M M I N E N T I M P E A C H M E N T O F

More information

GCE AS 2 Student Guidance Government & Politics. Course Companion Unit AS 2: The British Political System. For first teaching from September 2008

GCE AS 2 Student Guidance Government & Politics. Course Companion Unit AS 2: The British Political System. For first teaching from September 2008 GCE AS 2 Student Guidance Government & Politics Course Companion Unit AS 2: The British Political System For first teaching from September 2008 For first award of AS Level in Summer 2009 For first award

More information

GOVERNMENT EVALUATION

GOVERNMENT EVALUATION CNI Indicators ISSN 2317-712 Year 7 Number 1 ch 17 CNI-Ibope survey GOVERNMENT EVALUATION ch / 17 CNI-Ibope survey GOVERNMENT EVALUATION ch / 17 17. CNI - National Confederation of Industry. Any part

More information

Campaigning in General Elections (HAA)

Campaigning in General Elections (HAA) Campaigning in General Elections (HAA) Once the primary season ends, the candidates who have won their party s nomination shift gears to campaign in the general election. Although the Constitution calls

More information

Gender quotas in Slovenia: A short analysis of failures and hopes

Gender quotas in Slovenia: A short analysis of failures and hopes Gender quotas in Slovenia: A short analysis of failures and hopes Milica G. Antić Maruša Gortnar Department of Sociology University of Ljubljana Slovenia milica.antic-gaber@guest.arnes.si Gender quotas

More information

COLOMBIA: "Mark Him on the Ballot - The One Wearing Glasses"

COLOMBIA: Mark Him on the Ballot - The One Wearing Glasses COLOMBIA: "Mark Him on the Ballot - The One Wearing Glasses" Constanza Vieira IPS May 8, 2008 BOGOTA - "With Uribe, we thought: this is the guy who is going to change the country," the 41-year-old fisherwoman

More information

CHAPTER OUTLINE WITH KEYED-IN RESOURCES

CHAPTER OUTLINE WITH KEYED-IN RESOURCES OVERVIEW A political party exists in three arenas: among the voters who psychologically identify with it, as a grassroots organization staffed and led by activists, and as a group of elected officials

More information

Dems we re already winning the long-haul campaign for America s future

Dems we re already winning the long-haul campaign for America s future A Journal of Public Opinion & Political Strategy www.thedemocraticstrategist.org TDS Strategy Memo: Dems we re already winning the long-haul campaign for America s future There s an important mistake that

More information

EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) FEDERAL CODE OF ELECTORAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCEDURES OF MEXICO

EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) FEDERAL CODE OF ELECTORAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCEDURES OF MEXICO Strasbourg, 14 January 2013 Opinion No. 680 / 2012 CDL-REF(2013)002 Engl. only EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) FEDERAL CODE OF ELECTORAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCEDURES OF

More information

Runoff Elections and the Number of Presidential Candidates A Regression Discontinuity Design Using Brazilian Municipalities

Runoff Elections and the Number of Presidential Candidates A Regression Discontinuity Design Using Brazilian Municipalities Runoff Elections and the Number of Presidential Candidates A Regression Discontinuity Design Using Brazilian Municipalities Timothy J. Power University of Oxford Rodrigo Rodrigues-Silveira University of

More information

EXAM: Presidency GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

EXAM: Presidency GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE AP Government EXAM: Presidency Mr. Messinger 1. When selecting a vice-presidential candidate, a presidential nominee is usually concerned primarily with choosing a running mate who a) has significant personal

More information

The Duma Districts Key to Putin s Power

The Duma Districts Key to Putin s Power The Duma Districts Key to Putin s Power PONARS Policy Memo 290 Henry E. Hale Indiana University and Robert Orttung American University September 2003 When politicians hit the campaign trail and Russians

More information

When Do Voters Punish Corrupt Politicians? Experimental Evidence from Brazil

When Do Voters Punish Corrupt Politicians? Experimental Evidence from Brazil Experimental Evidence from Brazil Miguel F. P. de Figueiredo UC Berkeley F. Daniel Hidalgo MIT Yuri Kasahara University of Oslo CEGA Research Retreat UC Berkeley November 4, 2012 Project Overview Research

More information

The Birth of Political Parties

The Birth of Political Parties . Student Resource Adapted from, The Evolution of American Party Democracy. Pp.417-422 O Conner, Karen & Sabato, Larry J. American Government: Continuity and Change. New York: Pearson,Longman. 2006. The

More information

Maintaining Control. Putin s Strategy for Holding Power Past 2008

Maintaining Control. Putin s Strategy for Holding Power Past 2008 Maintaining Control Putin s Strategy for Holding Power Past 2008 PONARS Policy Memo No. 397 Regina Smyth Pennsylvania State University December 2005 There is little question that Vladimir Putin s Kremlin

More information

Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry. Chapter 12 Congress

Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry. Chapter 12 Congress Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Thirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry Chapter 12 Congress The Representatives and The Job Senators Salary of $168,500 with

More information

Comparative Issues on American and Brazilian Electoral Politics: an Interview with Dr. Royce Carroll

Comparative Issues on American and Brazilian Electoral Politics: an Interview with Dr. Royce Carroll Comparative Issues on American and Brazilian Electoral Politics: an Interview with Dr. Royce Carroll Alessandro Faraje Figueiredo 1 Abstract: In this interview, Royce Carroll discusses many differences

More information

The Centre for European and Asian Studies

The Centre for European and Asian Studies The Centre for European and Asian Studies REPORT 2/2007 ISSN 1500-2683 The Norwegian local election of 2007 Nick Sitter A publication from: Centre for European and Asian Studies at BI Norwegian Business

More information

***POLITICAL PARTIES*** DEFINITION: A group of politicians, activists, and voters who seek to win elections and control government.

***POLITICAL PARTIES*** DEFINITION: A group of politicians, activists, and voters who seek to win elections and control government. ***POLITICAL PARTIES*** DEFINITION: A group of politicians, activists, and voters who seek to win elections and control government. Ex: Democrat, Republican, Whig, Libertarian KEY FUNCTIONS OF MODERN POLITICAL

More information

Sunday s Presidential Election: Where Will Chile Go? Anders Beal, Latin American Program Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Sunday s Presidential Election: Where Will Chile Go? Anders Beal, Latin American Program Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Sunday s Presidential Election: Where Will Chile Go? Anders Beal, Latin American Program Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars November 17, 2017 A SECOND TERM LIKELY FOR SEBASTIÁN PIÑERA Chileans

More information

Too difficult to manage, too big to ignore:

Too difficult to manage, too big to ignore: Too difficult to manage, too big to ignore: Party choice in multiparty presidential systems * Carlos Pereira, Samuel Pessôa, and Frederico Bertholini Abstract: In consensual (proportional) highly fragmented

More information

REMAKING THE ANC. Party Change in South Africa and the Global South. edited by Anthony Butler

REMAKING THE ANC. Party Change in South Africa and the Global South. edited by Anthony Butler REMAKING THE ANC Party Change in South Africa and the Global South edited by Anthony Butler Contents First published by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd in 2014 10 Orange Street Sunnyside Auckland Park 2092 South

More information

Role of Political and Legal Systems. Unit 5

Role of Political and Legal Systems. Unit 5 Role of Political and Legal Systems Unit 5 Political Labels Liberal call for peaceful and gradual change of the nations political system, would like to see the government involved in the promotion of the

More information

The major powers and duties of the President are set forth in Article II of the Constitution:

The major powers and duties of the President are set forth in Article II of the Constitution: Unit 6: The Presidency The President of the United States heads the executive branch of the federal government. The President serves a four-year term in office. George Washington established the norm of

More information

Radical Right and Partisan Competition

Radical Right and Partisan Competition McGill University From the SelectedWorks of Diana Kontsevaia Spring 2013 Radical Right and Partisan Competition Diana B Kontsevaia Available at: https://works.bepress.com/diana_kontsevaia/3/ The New Radical

More information

opposed to dogmatic, purpose approach of his radical fellow partisans.

opposed to dogmatic, purpose approach of his radical fellow partisans. In the course of the American Civil War, in four occupied southern states loyal civil governments were established and in three other states at least attempts at reconstruction took place. The master thesis

More information

CARP Political Poll II Report July 26, 2013

CARP Political Poll II Report July 26, 2013 CARP Political Poll II Report July 26, 2013 Key Findings While members approve of the recent cabinet shuffle, few think it will make any difference to how the government treats older Canadians because

More information

Political Campaign. Volunteers in a get-out-the-vote campaign in Portland, Oregon, urge people to vote during the 2004 presidential

Political Campaign. Volunteers in a get-out-the-vote campaign in Portland, Oregon, urge people to vote during the 2004 presidential Political Campaign I INTRODUCTION Voting Volunteer Volunteers in a get-out-the-vote campaign in Portland, Oregon, urge people to vote during the 2004 presidential elections. Greg Wahl-Stephens/AP/Wide

More information

BRAZILIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME

BRAZILIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME BRAZILIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LATIN AMERICAN CENTRE UNDER THE MISTS OF HGPE: PARTISAN IMAGE IN THE BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS (1989-2010) Marcia Ribeiro Dias Pontifícia Universidade

More information

To Redistribute or Not:

To Redistribute or Not: IDB WORKING PAPER SERIES No. IDB-WP-335 To Redistribute or Not: A Politician's Dilemma Fabiana V. P. Machado September 2012 Inter-American Development Bank Department of Research and Chief Economist To

More information

THE REPRESENTATION OF EAST ASIA IN LATIN AMERICAN LEGISLATURES HIROKAZU KIKUCHI (INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIES)

THE REPRESENTATION OF EAST ASIA IN LATIN AMERICAN LEGISLATURES HIROKAZU KIKUCHI (INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIES) THE REPRESENTATION OF EAST ASIA IN LATIN AMERICAN LEGISLATURES HIROKAZU KIKUCHI (INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIES) 2017/8/17 @ UNIVERSIDADE DE BRASÍLIA START OF (EAST) ASIAN MIGRATION TO LATIN AMERICA

More information

Elections in Haiti October 25 General Elections

Elections in Haiti October 25 General Elections Elections in Haiti October 25 General Elections Frequently Asked Questions Americas International Foundation for Electoral Systems 1850 K Street, NW Fifth Floor Washington, D.C. 20006 www.ifes.org October

More information

Unit 3 Take-Home Test (AP GaP)

Unit 3 Take-Home Test (AP GaP) Unit 3 Take-Home Test (AP GaP) Please complete these test items on the GradeCam form provided by your teacher. These are designed to be practice test items in preparation for the Midterm exam and for the

More information

Will Brazil Go Right or Left? The Shattering of the Political Center and the Implications for Brazil s Economic and Political Outlook

Will Brazil Go Right or Left? The Shattering of the Political Center and the Implications for Brazil s Economic and Political Outlook Brazil Institute October 2018 Will Brazil Go Right or Left? The Shattering of the Political Center and the Implications for Brazil s Economic and Political Outlook EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Following the first

More information

Weekly Geopolitical Report

Weekly Geopolitical Report Weekly Geopolitical Report By Kaisa Stucke, CFA April 25, 2016 The Impeachment Proceedings of Dilma Rousseff Brazil s lower house voted on April 17 th to impeach President Dilma Rousseff by a vote of 367

More information

Eduardo Mello and Matias Spektor Addicted to bad governance how to fix Brazil

Eduardo Mello and Matias Spektor Addicted to bad governance how to fix Brazil Eduardo Mello and Matias Spektor Addicted to bad governance how to fix Brazil Article (Accepted version) (Refereed) Original citation: Mello, Eduardo and Spektor, Matias (2016) Addicted to bad governance

More information

Texas Elections Part I

Texas Elections Part I Texas Elections Part I In a society governed passively by free markets and free elections, organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy. Matt Taibbi Elections...a formal decision-making process

More information

brazilianpoliticalsciencereview A r t i C L E Women and Candidate Quality in the Elections for the Senate:

brazilianpoliticalsciencereview A r t i C L E Women and Candidate Quality in the Elections for the Senate: brazilianpoliticalsciencereview A r t i C L E Women and Candidate Quality in the Elections for the Senate: Brazil and the United States in Comparative Perspective * York University, Canada The Senate remains

More information

Mexico s 2018 Congressional elections

Mexico s 2018 Congressional elections Mexico s 2018 Congressional elections Incremental change no more Eric Magar ITAM Mexico Institute, Wilson Center June 25 th, 2018 General election July 1 st : all seats of the bicameral Congress contested

More information