Brazil has a multi-party system since 1979, when the country's military dictatorship disbanded an enforced two-party system and allowed the creation of multiple parties.[1]
Above the broad range of political parties in Brazilian Congress, the Workers' Party (PT), the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), the Liberal Party (PL), the Progressives (PP) and the Brazil Union (UNIÃO) together control the absolute majority of seats in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies.[2] Smaller parties often make alliances with at least one of these five major parties.[3] The number of political parties reached 35 on its apex on 2018, 30 of which were represented in congress after the 2018 Brazilian general election.[4] [5] [6] However, an electoral threshold introduced on 2017 has resulted in the culling and merger of many parties, as it cuts access to party subsidies and free party political broadcasts.[7]
Brazilian parties have access to party subsidies in form of the Fundo Partidário and the Fundo Eleitoral for elections.[8] And a system of free party political broadcasts during election time known as the horário eleitoral gratuito.[9]
Since 1982, Brazilian political parties have been given an electoral number to make it easier for illiterate people to vote. Initially, it was a one-digit number: 1 for PDS, 2 for PDT, 3 for PT, 4 for PTB, and 5 for PMDB. When it became clear that there was going to be more than nine parties, two-digit numbers were assigned, with the first five parties having a "1" added to their former one-digit number (PDS becoming number 11, PDT 12, PT 13, PTB 14, and PMDB 15). Political parties often change their names; however, they can retain their number.
| Party | No. | Leader | Deputies[10] | Senators[11] | State deputies[12] | Ideology | Position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party Partido Liberal | PL | 22 | Valdemar Costa Neto | data-sort-value="5" | Right-wing to far-right | ||||||
| Workers' Party Partido dos Trabalhadores | PT | 13 | Gleisi Hoffmann | data-sort-value="-2" | Centre-left | ||||||
| Brazil Union União Brasil | União | 44 | Antônio Rueda | data-sort-value="2" | Centre-right | ||||||
| Progressives Progressistas | PP | 11 | Ciro Nogueira | Liberal conservatism | data-sort-value="2" | Centre-right | |||||
| Social Democratic Party Partido Social Democrático | PSD | 55 | Gilberto Kassab | Big tent | data-sort-value="1" | Centre to centre-right | |||||
| Brazilian Democratic Movement Movimento Democrático Brasileiro | MDB | 15 | Baleia Rossi | Big tent | data-sort-value="1" | Centre to centre-right | |||||
| Republicans Republicanos | 10 | Marcos Pereira | Conservatism | data-sort-value="3" | Centre-right to right-wing | ||||||
| Democratic Labour Party Partido Democrático Trabalhista | PDT | 12 | André Figueiredo | Labourism | data-sort-value="-2" | Centre-left | |||||
| We Can Podemos | Pode | 20 | Renata Abreu | Liberal conservatism | data-sort-value="2" | Centre-right | |||||
| Brazilian Socialist Party Partido Socialista Brasileiro | PSB | 40 | Carlos Siqueira | Social democracy | data-sort-value="-2" | Centre-left | |||||
| Brazilian Social Democracy Party Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira | PSDB | 45 | Marconi Perillo | Liberalism | data-sort-value="0" | Centre | |||||
| Socialism and Liberty Party Partido Socialismo e Liberdade | PSOL | 50 | Paula Coradi | Socialism | data-sort-value="-5" | Left-wing to far-left | |||||
| Communist Party of Brazil Partido Comunista do Brasil | PCdoB | 65 | Luciana Santos | Communism | data-sort-value="-5" | Left-wing to far-left | |||||
| Forward Avante | 70 | Luis Tibé | Centrism | data-sort-value="0" | Centre | ||||||
| Solidarity Solidariedade | 77 | Euripedes Júnior | Humanism | data-sort-value="0" | Centre | ||||||
| Democratic Renewal Party Partido Renovação Democrática | PRD | 25 | Ovasco Resende | Right-wing populism | data-sort-value="5" | Right-wing to far-right | |||||
| Green Party Partido Verde | PV | 43 | José Luiz Penna | Green politics | data-sort-value="-2" | Centre-left | |||||
| Citizenship Cidadania | 23 | Comte Bittencourt | Social liberalism | data-sort-value="0" | |||||||
| New Party Partido Novo | Novo | 30 | Eduardo Ribeiro | Classical liberalism | data-sort-value="4" | Right-wing | |||||
| Sustainability Network Rede Sustentabilidade | Rede | 18 | Heloísa Helena | Green politics | data-sort-value="-2" | Centre-left |
| Party | No. | Leader | State deputies | Mayors[13] | Councillors[14] | Ideology | Position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Labour Renewal Party Partido Renovador Trabalhista Brasileiro | PRTB | 28 | Leonardo Araújo | Right-wing populism | data-sort-value="5" | Right-wing to far-right | |||||
| National Mobilization Mobilização Nacional | Mobiliza | 33 | Antonio Massarollo | Nationalism | data-sort-value="2" | Centre-right | |||||
| Act Agir | 36 | Daniel Tourinho | Autistic people's interests | data-sort-value="0" | Centre | ||||||
| Brazilian Woman's Party Partido da Mulher Brasileira | PMB | 35 | Suêd Haidar | Social conservatism | data-sort-value="4" | Right-wing | |||||
| Christian Democracy Democracia Cristã | DC | 27 | José Maria Eymael | Christian democracy | data-sort-value="2" | Centre-right | |||||
| Brazilian Communist Party Partido Comunista Brasileiro | PCB | 21 | Edmilson Costa | Marxism-Leninism | data-sort-value="-6" | Far-left | |||||
| Popular Unity Unidade Popular | UP | 80 | Leo Péricles | Revolutionary socialism | data-sort-value="-6" | Far-left | |||||
| United Socialist Workers' Party Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado | PSTU | 16 | Zé Maria | Trotskyism | data-sort-value="-6" | Far-left | |||||
| Workers' Cause Party Partido da Causa Operária | PCO | 29 | Rui Costa Pimenta | Trotskyism | data-sort-value="-6" | Far-left |