Insider

Bolsonaro using rallies to make his own party viable

alliance for brazil party politics
Staffers browsed around crowds to gather signatures. Photo: Gustavo Ribeiro/TBR

As supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro gathered in Brasília to protest against the Supreme Court, organizers set up a series of booths collecting signatures in support of Alliance for Brazil, a new political party envisioned by the president.

Mr. Bolsonaro launched the party back in 2019 in a push to reshuffle the political system. But his allies failed to gather signatures from 500,000 voters in at least nine different states, necessary to establish new political parties. All signatures must be verified one by one by electoral courts.

Even if the Alliance for Brazil gathers enough signatures, it won’t be up and running in time to dispute the 2022 election. President Jair Bolsonaro, who left the Social Liberal Party just months after taking office, is still seeking a political group to join and run for a second term.

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