Post-election, Brazil’s party system is changing

Political scientist V. O. Key coined the term “realignment” to describe the transition process that party systems periodically undergo when new ties between social and political structures are forged. 

During this process, novel cleavages structure the party system and patterns of electoral support in a new phase of stable alignment. Brazil’s party system is currently experiencing such a process. 

Half of the country voted for Jair Bolsonaro in this year’s presidential election. The result confirms what political scientist Jairo Nicolau argued four years ago, that a right-wing cleavage has emerged in the country. 

The reforms implemented in legislative elections should accelerate the institutionalization of this group. Many parties did not meet the new requirements to fill seats in Congress. 

Furthermore, as parties merge and fragmentation decreases in the coming months, we should have more clarity about the size and composition of the new Brazilian right.

The emergence of right-wing politics

As discussed by The Brazilian Report before the 2018 presidential election, Brazil’s party system was moving towards greater institutionalization. 

Two parties were...