The death of Brazil’s social democracy

Today, the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) as we know it will come to an end. Barring a hecatomb, São Paulo Governor João Doria is set to confirm his grip of the party—ending the rule of the intellectuals of the São Paulo elite and marking PSDB’s sharp turn to the right. In a race with one only candidate, former member of Congress Bruno Araújo (who cast the deciding vote on Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment) will be elected the party’s chairman after being handpicked by Mr. Doria.

Last week, during an event introducing new members to the party, Mr. Doria set the tone for the future of the “new PSDB,” as he called it. “From now on, the party won’t live off its past glories, it will do things differently.” And, to show who’s the boss, he added: “Those who don’t agree are free to leave.”

Until last year, the PSDB was one of Brazil’s most important political parties. Founded by a group of politicians with a long history in politics, it presented itself as a group that would conciliate social policies with pro-market reforms. It won two presidential elections by a landslide, in 1994 and 1998. Despite several mistakes and many corruption allegations, PSDB’s time in office...