The Democrats ( pt, Democratas, DEM) was a
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
political party in Brazil that merged with the
Social Liberal Party to found the
Brazil Union
The Brazil Union () is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative list of political parties in Brazil, political party in Brazil. The party was founded on 6 October 2021 from a merger between the Democrats (Brazil), Democrats (DEM) and the Soci ...
in 2021. It was founded in 1985 under the name of Liberal Front Party (''Partido da Frente Liberal'', PFL) from a dissidence of the defunct
Democratic Social Party
The Democratic Social Party ( pt, Partido Democrático Social, PDS) was a conservative Brazilian political party.
It was established in 1979 as a continuation of the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA), the political wing of the military during th ...
(PDS), successor to the
National Renewal Alliance
The National Renewal Alliance (Portuguese: ''Aliança Renovadora Nacional'', ARENA) was a far-right political party that existed in Brazil between 1966 and 1979. It was the official party of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 196 ...
(ARENA), the official party during the
military dictatorship of 1964–1985. It changed to its current name in 2007. The original name reflected the party's support of
free market
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any o ...
policies,
["Liberal Front Party (PFL)"](_blank)
Encyclopædia Britannica Online
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article ...
. rather than the identification with international liberal parties. Instead, the party affiliated itself to the international federations of
Christian-democratic
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
(
CDI) and conservative parties (
IDU). The Democrats' identification number is 25 and its colors are green, blue, and white.
In October 2021, the party announced its merger with the
Social Liberal Party into the new
Brazil Union
The Brazil Union () is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative list of political parties in Brazil, political party in Brazil. The party was founded on 6 October 2021 from a merger between the Democrats (Brazil), Democrats (DEM) and the Soci ...
party.
History
PFL (1985–2007)
![PFL logotipo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/PFL_logotipo.jpg)
On January 24, 1985, DEM's direct predecessor, the Liberal Front Party (''Partido da Frente Liberal – PFL''), was founded by a dissident faction of the
Democratic Social Party
The Democratic Social Party ( pt, Partido Democrático Social, PDS) was a conservative Brazilian political party.
It was established in 1979 as a continuation of the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA), the political wing of the military during th ...
(PDS), which had been founded in 1980 as the successor of the
National Renewal Alliance
The National Renewal Alliance (Portuguese: ''Aliança Renovadora Nacional'', ARENA) was a far-right political party that existed in Brazil between 1966 and 1979. It was the official party of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 196 ...
(ARENA), the former ruling party during the time of military dictatorship (1965–79). At the time, Brazil was under the effervescence that put an end to the military regime. In the previous year, a series of rallies known as ''
Diretas Já
Diretas Já (, ''Direct (Elections) Now'') was a civil unrest movement which, in 1984, demanded direct presidential elections in Brazil.
Participants of the movement
The movement brought together diverse elements of Brazilian society. Participa ...
'' gathered thousands of peoples in the streets of major cities to demand the direct election of the next President, as envisaged in the Dante de Oliveira amendment, which was pending approval in the Congress. On January 10, 1984, PDS rejected supporting this proposition, but a pro-''Diretas Já'' faction emerged within the party a few days later. On April 25, 1984, the Congress, besieged by Army officials, voted the amendment. It did not reach the required quorum for approval, due to the absence of 112 deputies from PDS.
After the attempts to have a direct election failed, discussions about the presidential succession turned to the National Congress, which would elect the President indirectly in the following year. The pro-''Diretas Já'' faction of PDS formed the Liberal Front, and decided to support PMDB's candidate
Tancredo Neves
Tancredo de Almeida Neves () (4 March 1910 – 21 April 1985) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and entrepreneur. He served as Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs from 1953 to 1954, Prime Minister from 1961 to 1962, Minister of Financ ...
against PDS's
Paulo Maluf
Paulo Salim Maluf (; born 3 September 1931) is a Brazilian politician with a career spanning over four decades and many functions, including those of State Governor of São Paulo, Mayor of the City of São Paulo, Congressman and Presidential cand ...
, the official candidate of the military regime. With the support of
Aureliano Chaves,
Marco Maciel
Marco Antônio de Oliveira Maciel (21 July 1940 – 12 June 2021) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and law school professor who served as the 22nd vice president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002, twice elected on the same ti ...
,
Antônio Carlos Magalhães
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães (4 September 1927 – 20 July 2007), also known by his initials ACM, was a Brazilian politician. He served as Governor of Bahia three times and represented Bahia in the Senate of Brazil three times.
Magalhãe ...
, and
Jorge Bornhausen, among other major dissidents from PDS, the Liberal Front named
José Sarney
José Sarney de Araújo Costa (; born José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa; 24 April 1930) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as 31st president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. He briefly served as the 20th vice president of ...
as Neves' running mate for the
1985 presidential election. On January 15, 1985, the Neves/Sarney presidential ticket got 480 of the 686 votes available in the Congress (70% of the total). Nine days later, on January 24, 1985, the Liberal Front officially disbanded from PDS and formed the Liberal Front Party (PFL). With the death of Tancredo Neves on April 21, 1985, Sarney took office as president. Due to the same electoral law that forbade coalitions, Sarney was forced to join PMDB, of which he is still a member today. PFL, however, was a major ally of his government. His daughter,
Roseana, was a member of PFL until 2006, when she was expelled from the party for supporting
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party, ...
.
In 1989, Aureliano Chaves was chosen as PFL's presidential candidate, but the weakness of his campaign made most leaders of the party to declare their support for National Reconstruction Party (
PRN)'s candidate,
Fernando Collor
Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (; born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate. Coll ...
, himself a former member of ARENA, PDS, and PMDB. PFL's Senators, however, had masterminded the candidacy of businessman and television presenter
Silvio Santos
Senor Abravanel, known professionally as Silvio Santos (Portuguese: /ˈsiwvju ˈsɐ̃tus/) (born December 12, 1930), is a Brazilian entrepreneur, media tycoon and television host. He is the owner of holdings that include SBT, the second largest ...
, a maneuver which had been hampered by the
Superior Electoral Court
The Superior Electoral Court ( pt-BR, Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court ( pt-BR, Tribunal Regional Eleitoral, TRE) in each of the 26 states ...
. An ally of Collor in the runoff election against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, PFL participated in his government, and, even after his
impeachment
Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In ...
, it participated in the coalition that supported
Itamar Franco
Itamar Augusto Cautiero Franco (; 28 June 19302 July 2011) was a Brazilian politician who served as the 33rd president of Brazil from 29 December 1992 to 31 December 1994. Previously, he was the 21st vice president of Brazil from 1990 until the ...
's government. From 1994 to 1998, PFL supported
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002. He was the first Brazi ...
and thus secured the post of vice-president with Marco Maciel. Prior to the 2002 election, an operation led by the
Federal Police
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.
Jurisdiction
LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction.
LEAs ...
in Maranhão undermined the presidential candidacy of
Roseana Sarney
Roseana Sarney Murad (born 1 June 1953) is a Brazilian politician and sociologist. She was the governor of the Brazilian state of Maranhão from 1995 to 2002 and again from 2009 to 2014. She is a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Part ...
, leading to a rupture with the government.
Opposition (2002–2016)
![Convenção dos Democratas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Conven%C3%A7%C3%A3o_dos_Democratas.jpg)
In the
legislative elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, on October 6, 2002, the party won 84 out of 513 seats in the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
and 14 out of 54 seats in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. After this election, which saw the rise of
Lula of the
PT as president, PFL became an opposition party for the first time ever since the 1964 coup. The party reorganized its alliance with Cardoso's
PSDB
The Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( pt, Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a political party in Brazil. As the third largest par ...
to form the official opposition in the National Congress.
In the following
general elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, held on October 1, 2006, the party won 65 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 6 out of the 27 Senate seats up for election, making it the second largest party in the Senate. The party does not usually run presidential candidates, but does run gubernatorial candidates in several states. In the 2006 elections, the party lost several state governorships, but won the governorship of the
Federal District
A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
. However, this governorship was later lost due to a corruption scandal in which Governor José Roberto Arruda was caught on tape receiving bribery from private companies.
In 2007, the party was refounded and adopted its current name.
In the
2010 elections, the party continued to suffer losses in the Parliament, losing 22 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 7 seats in the Senate. DEM was able to elect only two senators that year (Demóstentes Torres from
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
, and José Agripino Maia from
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", ref ...
), for a total of 6, falling from the second largest party in the Senate to the fourth. Its longest-serving member, former Vice President
Maciel, who had been first elected to the National Congress in 1966, was not re-elected. On the other hand, DEM won the governorships of the states of
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", ref ...
and
Santa Catarina, expanding its presence in state administrations.
The party lost over half of its votes when comparing the 2006 and 2010 Senate elections. In 2006, it had 21.6 million votes for the upper house, while in 2010 it had just 10.2 million votes. The decline was less sharp in the Chamber of Deputies elections, as it had 10.1 million votes in 2006, and 7.3 million in 2010. The decrease in DEM's voting was attributed to the rapid growth of the
PT and its allies in the Northeast. In 1986, the party had won 36% of the votes for the Chamber in the Northeast, while in 2006 this was reduced to 17%.
["Breve história do DEM, da ditadura a Arruda passando por FHC"](_blank)
''Vermelho''. February 17, 2010.
As a result of the decline in DEM's popularity, the party has considered merging with another major party, such as the
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party
The Brazilian Democratic Movement ( pt, Movimento Democrático Brasileiro, MDB) is a Brazilian political party. It is considered a " big tent party" and it is one of the parties with the greatest representation throughout the national territory, ...
(PMDB) or the
Brazilian Social Democratic Party
The Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( pt, Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a political party in Brazil. As the third largest par ...
(PSDB). A possible merge with PMDB, however, has been rejected by most of DEM's leaders due to the fact that it is a member of the
Lulista alliance in the National Congress and in most local level administrations. In 2011, it suffered another decline in its membership when
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
mayor
Kassab founded the
Social Democratic Party (PSD) and took prominent DEM members such as Senator Kátia Abreu, Santa Catarina governor Raimundo Colombo, and former vice-presidential candidate
Indio da Costa with him. PSD has 52 federal deputies and 2 senators, most of them former DEM members.
Ideology
The DEM claimed to be an advocate of ethics, democracy, the exercise of human rights, the
market economy
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...
and
economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...
. It presented itself as a center-right party that supported
laissez-faire
''Laissez-faire'' ( ; from french: laissez faire , ) is an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies) deriving from special interest groups. ...
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
.
In 2006, the party's former president
Jorge Bornhausen stated in an interview to Brazil's largest newsmagazine ''
Veja Veja may refer to :
Places
* Veja, a town in Lazio, central Italy; now Vejano comune
* Veja, a village in Stănița Commune, Neamț County, Romania
* Veja River, Romania
* Veja State, a former princely state in present Gujarat, western India
Perso ...
'', that the party should be considered
centrist
Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...
and
socially liberal
Cultural liberalism is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, it is often expressed a ...
. However, other party leaders classified it as "internationally, closest to
Christian democracy
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
".
According to political scientist Jairo Nicolau, the name change was intended to crown a process of modernization inside the party.
[Nicolau, Nicolau]
"O Declínio Inequívoco do PFL"
. ''Papo Político''. August 13, 2010. "DEM was launched as a modern right-wing party, with a new program, and aimed at the urban middle classes; a kind of
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
of the UK", he says.
This, according to him, explains the departure of founding members and the rise of younger leaders.
For instance,
Jorge Bornhausen, which had been a member of UDN, retired from the presidency of the party to give place to federal deputy Rodrigo Maia, son of
César Maia.
The
Santa Catarina section of the party was taken over by Bornhausen's own son, deputy Paulo Bornhausen.
In Bahia, ACM Neto took over the legacy of his grandfather,
Antônio Carlos Magalhães
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães (4 September 1927 – 20 July 2007), also known by his initials ACM, was a Brazilian politician. He served as Governor of Bahia three times and represented Bahia in the Senate of Brazil three times.
Magalhãe ...
.
Internationally, the Democrats were affiliated with both the
Centrist Democrat International
The Centrist Democrat International ( es, Internacional Demócrata de Centro) is a Christian-democratic political international. Until 2001, it was known as the Christian Democrat International (CDI); before 1999, it was known as the Christian D ...
and the
International Democrat Union
The International Democrat Union (IDU) is an international alliance of centre-right political parties. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the IDU consists of 84 full and associate members from 65 countries. It is chaired by Stephen Harper, ...
.
Youth Democrats
![Juventude Democratas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Juventude_Democratas.jpg)
Juventude Democratas was a nationwide doctrinal body of political action, of a political, cultural and social nature, part of the Democrats' organizational structure, with an indefinite duration. As a purpose, JDEM sought to disseminate the political doctrine adopted by the Democrats, in addition to encouraging the political participation of young people aiming at expanding the party's staff and training new leaders, supporting or promoting events, studies and research in the political, economic areas and social, aimed at disseminating, debating and discussing topics related to youth, their professional training and their development.
Internationally, they were full members of the
International Young Democrat Union
The International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) is a global alliance of centre-right political youth organisations and the youth wing of the International Democrat Union.
The IYDU in its current form was founded in March 1991 in Washington, D.C ...
.
National JDEM presidents:
* ACM Neto (1999–2001)
* João Roma Neto (2001–2007)
* Efraim Filho (2007–2011)
* Henrique Sartori (2011–2013)
* Hugo Neto (2013–2014)
* Bruno Kazuhiro (2014–)
Electoral performance
Legislative elections
Famous members
*
ACM Neto
ACM or A.C.M. may refer to:
Aviation
* AGM-129 ACM, 1990–2012 USAF cruise missile
* Air chief marshal
* Air combat manoeuvring or dogfighting
* Air cycle machine
* Arica Airport (Colombia) (IATA: ACM), in Arica, Amazonas, Colombia
Computing
* ...
, current party president, former mayor of
Salvador, Bahia
*
José Agripino, former
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
by
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", ref ...
*
Ronaldo Caiado
Ronaldo Ramos Caiado (Anápolis, September 25, 1949) is a Brazilian politician. An orthopedic physician trained at the School of Medicine and Surgery of Rio de Janeiro, he comes from a family landowners and politicians from Goiás. He is the grand ...
, governor of
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
and former senator
*
Mendonça Filho, party leader in the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
from
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...
*
João Alves Filho, former mayor of
Aracaju
Aracaju () is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the coast, about 350 km (217 mi) north of Salvador. According to the 2020 estimate, the city has 664,908 inhabitants, which re ...
, Sergipe
*
Marco Maciel
Marco Antônio de Oliveira Maciel (21 July 1940 – 12 June 2021) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and law school professor who served as the 22nd vice president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002, twice elected on the same ti ...
, former Vice President
*
Paulo Souto, former governor of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
*
Cesar Maia, former mayor of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
References
External links
Democrats official website
{{International Democrat Union
International Democrat Union member parties
Christian democratic parties in South America
Political parties established in 1985
Conservative parties in Brazil
1985 establishments in Brazil
Defunct political parties in Brazil
2022 disestablishments in Brazil