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Workers' Party (Brazil)
Encyclopedia
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist
political party
in Brazil
. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing
movements of Latin America
. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government
with several other parties since January 1, 2003. After the 2010 parliamentary election
, PT became the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies
and the second largest in the Federal Senate
for the first time ever. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
, the President
with the highest approval rating in the history of the country, is PT's most prominent member. His successor, Dilma Rousseff
, is also a member of PT; she took office on January 1, 2011. The party's symbols are the red flag
with a white star in the center; the five-pointed red star
, inscribed with the initials "PT" in the center; and the Workers Party' s anthem. Workers' Party's TSE (Supreme Electoral Court) Identification Number is 13.
ists, left-wing intellectuals and artists, and Catholics linked to the liberation theology
, on February 10, 1980 at Colégio Sion in São Paulo
, a private Catholic school for girls. The party emerged as a result of the approach between the labor movements in the ABC Region
– such as the Conferência das Classes Trabalhadoras (Conclat), which later developed into the Central Única dos Trabalhadores
(CUT) – which carried major strikes from 1978 to 1980, and the old Brazilian left-wing, whose militants were returning from exile with the 1979 Amnesty law.
The party was launched under a democratic socialism
trend. After the 1964 coup d'état, Brazil's main federation of labor unions, the General Command of Workers (Comando Geral dos Trabalhadores - CGT) – which since its formation gathered leaders approved by the Ministry of Labour
, a practice tied to the fact that since the Vargas
dictatorship, unions had become quasi-state organs – was dissolved, while unions themselves suffered intervention of the military regime. The resurgence of an organized labour movement, evidenced by strikes in the ABC Region
on the late 1970s led by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
, enabled the reorganization of the labour movement without the direct interference of the State
. The movement originally sought to act exclusively in union politics, but the survival of a conservative unionism under the domination of the State (evidenced in the refoundation of CGT) and the influence exercised over the trade union movement by leaders of traditional left-wing parties, such as the Brazilian Communist Party
, forced the unionist movement of ABC, encouraged by anti-Stalinist
leaders, to organize its own party, in a strategy similar to that held by the Solidarność union movement in Poland
.
Therefore, the Workers' Party emerged rejecting the traditional leaders of official unionism, and seeking to put into practice a new form of democratic socialism, trying to reject political models it regarded as decaying, such as the Soviet
and Chinese
ones. It represented the confluence between unionism and anti-Stalinist intelligentsia
.
It was officially recognized as a party by the Brazilian Supreme Electoral Court
on February 11, 1982. The first membership card belonged to art critic and former Trotskyst activist Mário Pedrosa, followed by literary scholar Antonio Candido
, and historian Sérgio Buarque de Holanda. Holanda's daughter, Ana de Holanda, later became Minister of Culture
in the Rousseff cabinet.
Since 1990, the Workers' Party has grown in popularity on the national stage by winning the elections in many of the largest Brazilian cities, such as São Paulo
, Fortaleza
, Belo Horizonte
, Porto Alegre
, and Goiânia
, as well as in some important states, such as Rio Grande do Sul
, Espírito Santo
, and the Federal District
. This winning streak culminated with the victory of its presidential candidate, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
in 2002, who succeeded Fernando Henrique Cardoso
of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party
(Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira - PSDB). PSDB, for its defense of economic liberalism
, is the party's main electoral rival, as well as the Democrats
, heir of the National Renewal Alliance Party
(Aliança Renovadora Nacional - ARENA), ruling party during the military dictatorship
. Along with the Socialist People's Party
(Partido Popular Socialista - PPS), a dissidence of the Brazilian Communist Party
(Partido Comunista Brasileiro - PCB), they form the centre-right opposition to the Lula administration.
1989 presidential elections
In the 1989 general elections, Lula surprisingly went to the second round with Fernando Collor de Mello
. Even though all center and left-wing candidates of the first round united around Lula's candidacy, Collor's campaign was strongly supported by the mass media (notably Rede Globo
, as seen on the documentary Beyond Citizen Kane
) and Lula lost in the second round by a close margin of 5.7%.
1994 and 1998 general elections
Leading up to the 1994 general elections, Lula was the leading Presidential candidate in the majority of polls. As a result, centrist and right-wing parties openly united for Fernando Henrique Cardoso's candidacy. Cardoso, as Minister of Economy, created the Real Plan, which established the new currency
and subsequently ended inflation
and provided economic stability. As a result, Cardoso won the election in the first round with 54% of the votes. However, it has been noted that "the elections were not a complete disaster for PT, which significantly increased its presence in the Congress and elected for the first time two state governors". Cardoso would be re-elected in 1998.
2002 general elections
After the detrition of PSDB's image and as a result of an economic crisis that burst in the final years of Cardoso's government, Lula won the 2002 presidential election in the second round with over 52 million votes, becoming the most voted president in history, surpassing Ronald Reagan
. However, Lula's record was surpassed by George W. Bush
(in his re-election campaign) and Barack Obama
.
2006 general elections
On October 29, 2006, the Workers' Party won 83 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
and 11 seats in the Senate
. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected with more than 60% of the votes, extending his position as President of Brazil until January 1, 2011.
The Workers' Party is now the second largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, the fourth largest party in the Senate, and has 5 state governorships. However, it only gained control of one among the ten richest states (Bahia
).
2010 general elections
In the 2010 general elections, held on October 3, PT gained control of 17.15% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, a record for the party since 2002. With 88 seats gained, it became the largest party in the lower chamber for the first time ever. PT also became the second largest party in the Federal Senate for the first time, after electing of 11 Senators, making a total of 14 Senators for the 2010–2014 legislature. Its national coalition
gained control of 311 seats in the lower house and 50 seats in the upper house, a broad majority in both houses which the Lula administration never had. This election also saw the decrease in the number of seats controlled by the centre-right opposition bloc
; it shrank from 133 to 111 deputies. The left-wing opposition, formed by PSOL, retained control of three seats.
The party was also expected to elect its presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff
in the first round. However, she was not able to receive the necessary amount of valid votes (over 50%) and a second round, in which she scored 56% of the votes, took place on October 31, 2010. On January 1, 2011, she was inaugurated
and thus became the first female head of government
ever in the history of Brazil
, and the first de facto female head of state
since the death of Maria I
, Queen of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, in 1816.
Also in the 2010 elections PT retained control of the governorships of Bahia, Sergipe
, and Acre
, in addition to gaining back control of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District. Nevertheless, it lost control of Pará
. Candidates supported by the party won the race in Amapá
, Ceará
, Espírito Santo
, Maranhão
, Mato Grosso
, Pernambuco
, Piauí
, and Rio de Janeiro
, which means that PT would participate in 13 out of 27 state governorships.
(known as Babá), and senator Heloísa Helena
, who formed the Partido Socialismo e Liberdade
(PSOL) in June 2004 and ran for President in 2006, becoming, at the time, the woman who had garnered the most votes in Brazilian history.
In another move, 112 members of the radical-wing of the party announced they were abandoning PT in the World Social Forum
, in Porto Alegre
, on January 30, 2005. They also published a manifesto
entitled Manifesto of the Rupture that states that PT "is no longer an instrument of social transformation, but only an instrument of the status quo", continuing with references to the IMF and other economic and social issues.
of the Brazilian Labour Party
(Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro - PTB), Roberto Jefferson
. Serious evidence for slush funding and bribes-for-votes were presented, dragging PT to the most serious crisis in its history - known colloquially as the Mensalão.
José Genoíno
resigned as president of the party and was replaced by Tarso Genro
, former mayor of Porto Alegre.
A small minority of party members defected as a result of the crisis. Most of them went to PSOL.
(tendências) within the PT, ranging from Articulação, the center-left group that Lula is a part of, to Marxists
and Christian socialists
.
, a close aide to British prime minister
and Labour Party
leader Tony Blair
, stated that the Workers' Party's proposals for the 1998 presidential elections represented "an old-fashioned and out-of-date socialism." Representatives of the Workers' Party publicly protested this statement. Labour-Workers' Party relations have since improved.
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
movements of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with several other parties since January 1, 2003. After the 2010 parliamentary election
Brazilian parliamentary election, 2010
The 2010 Brazilian parliamentary election was held on Sunday, October 3, as part of the country's general election. In the date, 54 of the 81 seats in the Federal Senate and all 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were up for election....
, PT became the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
and the second largest in the Federal Senate
Senate of Brazil
The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
for the first time ever. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
, the President
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
with the highest approval rating in the history of the country, is PT's most prominent member. His successor, Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva....
, is also a member of PT; she took office on January 1, 2011. The party's symbols are the red flag
Red flag
In politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, or Communism, or sometimes left-wing politics in general. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its...
with a white star in the center; the five-pointed red star
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
, inscribed with the initials "PT" in the center; and the Workers Party' s anthem. Workers' Party's TSE (Supreme Electoral Court) Identification Number is 13.
History
The Workers' Party was launched by a heterogeneous group, formed by trade unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ists, left-wing intellectuals and artists, and Catholics linked to the liberation theology
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
, on February 10, 1980 at Colégio Sion in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, a private Catholic school for girls. The party emerged as a result of the approach between the labor movements in the ABC Region
ABC Region
The term ABC Region is an industrial region in Greater São Paulo, Brazil.The name refers to three smaller cities bordering on São Paulo, capital of the Brazilian state of the same name. Originally, these three cities were Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, and São Caetano do Sul...
– such as the Conferência das Classes Trabalhadoras (Conclat), which later developed into the Central Única dos Trabalhadores
Central Única dos Trabalhadores
-See also:*Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores*Força Sindical-External links:...
(CUT) – which carried major strikes from 1978 to 1980, and the old Brazilian left-wing, whose militants were returning from exile with the 1979 Amnesty law.
The party was launched under a democratic socialism
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
trend. After the 1964 coup d'état, Brazil's main federation of labor unions, the General Command of Workers (Comando Geral dos Trabalhadores - CGT) – which since its formation gathered leaders approved by the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
, a practice tied to the fact that since the Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
dictatorship, unions had become quasi-state organs – was dissolved, while unions themselves suffered intervention of the military regime. The resurgence of an organized labour movement, evidenced by strikes in the ABC Region
ABC Region
The term ABC Region is an industrial region in Greater São Paulo, Brazil.The name refers to three smaller cities bordering on São Paulo, capital of the Brazilian state of the same name. Originally, these three cities were Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, and São Caetano do Sul...
on the late 1970s led by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
, enabled the reorganization of the labour movement without the direct interference of the State
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
. The movement originally sought to act exclusively in union politics, but the survival of a conservative unionism under the domination of the State (evidenced in the refoundation of CGT) and the influence exercised over the trade union movement by leaders of traditional left-wing parties, such as the Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party is the oldest political party still active in Brazil, founded in 1922, and one of the only Brazilian parties with a Stalinist orientation...
, forced the unionist movement of ABC, encouraged by anti-Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
leaders, to organize its own party, in a strategy similar to that held by the Solidarność union movement in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Therefore, the Workers' Party emerged rejecting the traditional leaders of official unionism, and seeking to put into practice a new form of democratic socialism, trying to reject political models it regarded as decaying, such as the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Chinese
Chinese socialism
Chinese socialism is the unique form of socialism and socialist thought developed in China in the modern era. The Tongmenghui revolutionary organization led by Dr...
ones. It represented the confluence between unionism and anti-Stalinist intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
.
It was officially recognized as a party by the Brazilian Supreme Electoral Court
Supreme Electoral Court (Brazil)
The Supreme Electoral Court is the highest body of the Brazilian Electoral Court. There are also Regional Electoral Courts and Electoral Registry offices spread throughout Brazil....
on February 11, 1982. The first membership card belonged to art critic and former Trotskyst activist Mário Pedrosa, followed by literary scholar Antonio Candido
Antônio Candido
Antonio Candido de Mello e Souza was born in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on July 24, 1918. He is a writer, professor, and literary critic. He was the co-winner of the Prêmio Jabuti for essays in 1965.-Partial bibliography:...
, and historian Sérgio Buarque de Holanda. Holanda's daughter, Ana de Holanda, later became Minister of Culture
Ministry of Culture (Brazil)
The Ministry of Culture of Brazil was created in 1985.-External links:*...
in the Rousseff cabinet.
Electoral history
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
, Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, and Goiânia
Goiânia
-Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....
, as well as in some important states, such as Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
, and the Federal District
Brazilian Federal District
The Federal District is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia - place where the three branches of the Federal Government are located - is the main...
. This winning streak culminated with the victory of its presidential candidate, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
in 2002, who succeeded Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party
Brazilian Social Democracy Party
The Brazilian Social Democracy Party is a centrist political party in Brazil. Originally a centre-left party at the time of its foundation, PSDB moved to the centre after Fernando Henrique Cardoso forged an alliance with the right-wing Liberal...
(Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira - PSDB). PSDB, for its defense of economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
, is the party's main electoral rival, as well as the Democrats
Democrats (Brazil)
The Democrats is a centre-right political party in Brazil, considered the main in the right-wing spectrum. Despite its former name , the party affiliates itself to the Centrist Democrat International, and the International Democrat Union. The name comes from its support to free market policies...
, heir of the National Renewal Alliance Party
National Renewal Alliance Party
The National Renewal Alliance Party or Aliança Renovadora Nacional was a conservative political party that existed in Brazil between 1966 and 1985...
(Aliança Renovadora Nacional - ARENA), ruling party during the military dictatorship
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
. Along with the Socialist People's Party
Socialist People's Party (Brazil)
The Socialist People's Party is a political party in Brazil.It was founded in 1992, after the Brazilian Communist Party decided to rename itself the Socialist People's Party as part of a political realignment following the collapse of the Soviet Union.The PPS was a part of the coalition government...
(Partido Popular Socialista - PPS), a dissidence of the Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party
Brazilian Communist Party is the oldest political party still active in Brazil, founded in 1922, and one of the only Brazilian parties with a Stalinist orientation...
(Partido Comunista Brasileiro - PCB), they form the centre-right opposition to the Lula administration.
1989 presidential elections
In the 1989 general elections, Lula surprisingly went to the second round with Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello was the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his trial of impeachment by the Brazilian Senate...
. Even though all center and left-wing candidates of the first round united around Lula's candidacy, Collor's campaign was strongly supported by the mass media (notably Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
, as seen on the documentary Beyond Citizen Kane
Beyond Citizen Kane
Beyond Citizen Kane is a British documentary film directed by Simon Hartog, produced by John Ellis, and broadcast on Channel 4.It details the dominant position of the Rede Globo media group in the Brazilian society, discussing the group's influence, power, and political connections...
) and Lula lost in the second round by a close margin of 5.7%.
1994 and 1998 general elections
Leading up to the 1994 general elections, Lula was the leading Presidential candidate in the majority of polls. As a result, centrist and right-wing parties openly united for Fernando Henrique Cardoso's candidacy. Cardoso, as Minister of Economy, created the Real Plan, which established the new currency
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
and subsequently ended inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
and provided economic stability. As a result, Cardoso won the election in the first round with 54% of the votes. However, it has been noted that "the elections were not a complete disaster for PT, which significantly increased its presence in the Congress and elected for the first time two state governors". Cardoso would be re-elected in 1998.
2002 general elections
After the detrition of PSDB's image and as a result of an economic crisis that burst in the final years of Cardoso's government, Lula won the 2002 presidential election in the second round with over 52 million votes, becoming the most voted president in history, surpassing Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. However, Lula's record was surpassed by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
(in his re-election campaign) and Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
2006 general elections
On October 29, 2006, the Workers' Party won 83 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
and 11 seats in the Senate
Senate of Brazil
The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected with more than 60% of the votes, extending his position as President of Brazil until January 1, 2011.
The Workers' Party is now the second largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, the fourth largest party in the Senate, and has 5 state governorships. However, it only gained control of one among the ten richest states (Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
).
2010 general elections
In the 2010 general elections, held on October 3, PT gained control of 17.15% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, a record for the party since 2002. With 88 seats gained, it became the largest party in the lower chamber for the first time ever. PT also became the second largest party in the Federal Senate for the first time, after electing of 11 Senators, making a total of 14 Senators for the 2010–2014 legislature. Its national coalition
For Brazil to keep on changing
For Brazil to keep on changing is the name of an electoral coalition formed around the democratic socialist Workers' Party in Brazil for the 2010 presidential election. It comprised ten parties from the left and center spectrums: PT, PMDB, PCdoB, PDT, PRB, PR, PSB, PSC, PTC and PTN. On October...
gained control of 311 seats in the lower house and 50 seats in the upper house, a broad majority in both houses which the Lula administration never had. This election also saw the decrease in the number of seats controlled by the centre-right opposition bloc
Brazil can do more
Brazil can do more is the name of a centre-right electoral coalition in Brazil formed around the Third Way Brazilian Social Democratic Party for the 2010 presidential election. It is formed by six parties: PSDB, DEM, PTB, PPS, PMN and PTdoB...
; it shrank from 133 to 111 deputies. The left-wing opposition, formed by PSOL, retained control of three seats.
The party was also expected to elect its presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva....
in the first round. However, she was not able to receive the necessary amount of valid votes (over 50%) and a second round, in which she scored 56% of the votes, took place on October 31, 2010. On January 1, 2011, she was inaugurated
Inauguration of Dilma Rousseff
The inauguration of Dilma Rousseff as the 36th President of Brazil took place on Saturday, January 1, 2011. This inauguration marked the commencement of the four-year term of Dilma Rousseff as President and Michel Temer as Vice President. The event had been awaited with some expectation, since...
and thus became the first female head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
ever in the history of Brazil
History of Brazil
The history of Brazil begins with the arrival of the first indigenous peoples, thousands of years ago by crossing the Bering land bridge into Alaska and then moving south....
, and the first de facto female head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
since the death of Maria I
Maria I of Portugal
Maria I was Queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves from 1777 until her death. Known as Maria the Pious , or Maria the Mad , she was the first undisputed Queen regnant of Portugal...
, Queen of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, in 1816.
Also in the 2010 elections PT retained control of the governorships of Bahia, Sergipe
Sergipe
Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
, and Acre
Acre (state)
Acre is one of the 27 states of Brazil. It is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. It occupies an area of 152,581.4 km2, being slightly smaller...
, in addition to gaining back control of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District. Nevertheless, it lost control of Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. Candidates supported by the party won the race in Amapá
Amapá
Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
, Ceará
Ceará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
, Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
, Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
, Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
, Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
, Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
, and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, which means that PT would participate in 13 out of 27 state governorships.
Internal debate, 2003-2007
The changes in the political orientation of PT (from a far-left socialist to a centre-left social-democratic party) after Lula was elected President were well received by many in the population, but, as a historically more radical party, PT has experienced a series of internal struggles with members who have refused to embrace the new political positions of the party. These struggles have fueled public debates, the worst of which had its climax in December 2003, when four dissident legislators were expelled from the party for not following majority sanctioned political decisions. Among these members were congressman João Batista Oliveira de AraujoJoão Batista Oliveira de Araujo
João Batista Oliveira de Araujo is a Brazilian politician. He is a former member of the Workers' Party , and a founding member of the Socialism and Freedom Party .- References :...
(known as Babá), and senator Heloísa Helena
Heloísa Helena (politician)
Heloísa Helena Lima de Moraes Carvalho is a left-wing politician in Brazil.-Career:A trained nurse, Helena helped founding the Center of Health at the Federal University of Alagoas. She was also involved in the student movements against the military dictatorship...
, who formed the Partido Socialismo e Liberdade
Socialism and Freedom Party
The Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,...
(PSOL) in June 2004 and ran for President in 2006, becoming, at the time, the woman who had garnered the most votes in Brazilian history.
In another move, 112 members of the radical-wing of the party announced they were abandoning PT in the World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
, in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, on January 30, 2005. They also published a manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
entitled Manifesto of the Rupture that states that PT "is no longer an instrument of social transformation, but only an instrument of the status quo", continuing with references to the IMF and other economic and social issues.
Presidential elections
| Year | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Lula | 11,622,673 | 16.7% |
| 31,076,364 | 46.9% (lost) | ||
| 1994 | 17,122,127 | 27.0% | |
| 1998 | 21,475,211 | 31.7% | |
| 2002 | 39,455,233 | 46.4% | |
| 52,793,364 | 61.3% (won) | ||
| 2006 | 46,662,365 | 48,6% | |
| 58,295,042 | 60.8% (won) | ||
| 2010 | Dilma Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.... |
47,651,434 | 46.9% |
| 55,752,529 | 56.1% (won) | ||
| Source: Election Resources: Federal Elections in Brazil - Results Lookup | |||
Parliamentary elections
| Chamber Chamber of Deputies of Brazil The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms... |
Senate | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Votes | % of votes | % change | Seats | % of seats | Seats change | Votes | % of votes | % change | Seats | % of seats | Total seats |
| 1982 | 1,458,719 | 3.5% | – | 8 | 1.7 | – | 1,538,786 | 3.6% | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | 3,253,999 | 6.9% | +3.4 | 16 | 3.3 | +8 | – | – | – | |||
| 1990 | 4,128,052 | 10.2% | +3.3 | 35 | 7.0 | +19 | 1 | 3.2 | 1 | |||
| 1994 | 5,959,854 | 13.1% | +2.9 | 49 | 9.6 | +14 | 13,198,319 | 13.8% | 4 | 7.4 | 5 | |
| 1998 | 8,786,528 | 13.2% | +0.1 | 59 | 11.3 | +9 | 11,392,662 | 18.4% | +4.6 | 3 | 11.1 | 7 |
| 2002 | 16,094,080 | 18.4% | +5.2 | 91 | 17.7 | +33 | 32,739,665 | 21.3% | +2.9 | 10 | 18.5 | 14 |
| 2006 | 13,989,859 | 15.0% | -3.4 | 83 | 16.2 | -8 | 16,222,159 | 19.2% | -2.1 | 2 | 7.4 | 11 |
| 2010 | 16,289,199 | 16.9% | +1.9% | 88 | 17.1 | +5 | 39,410,141 | 23.1% | +3.9 | 11 | 20.3 | 14 |
| 1 Percentage of seats up for election that year. 2 Total seats: seats up for election that year plus seats not up for election. Sources: Georgetown University, Election Resources, Rio de Janeiro State University |
||||||||||||
Present composition of the House of Representatives
| Congressmen Chamber of Deputies of Brazil The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms... |
AC Acre The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related... |
AL Alagoas Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti... |
AM Amazonas Amazonas is derived from Rio Amazonas, the local Portuguese and Spanish name for the Amazon River. It may also refer to:*Amazonas *Amazonas Department, Colombia*Amazonas Region, Peru*Amazonas -See also:... |
AP Amapá Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once... |
BA Bahia Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size... |
CE Ceará Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of... |
DF Brazilian Federal District The Federal District is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia - place where the three branches of the Federal Government are located - is the main... |
ES Espírito Santo Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity... |
GO Goiás Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community... |
MA Maranhão Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent... |
MG Minas Gerais Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the... |
MS Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising... |
MT Mato Grosso Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest... |
PA Pará Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state... |
PB Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east... |
PE Pernambuco Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the... |
PI Piauí Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland... |
PR Paraná - Rivers :*Paraná River, a river that flows through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina*Paranã River, a river in the state of Goias, Brazil*Paraná Urariá, a river in Amazonas, Brazil- Places :In Argentina:*Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city... |
RJ Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... |
RN Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal... |
RO Rondônia Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon... |
RR Roraima Roraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista... |
RS Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine... |
SC Santa Catarina Santa Catarina is the name of several places :-Places:Brazil*Santa Catarina , one of that country's federal states... |
SE Sergipe Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean... |
SP São Paulo São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among... |
TO Tocantins Tocantins may refer to:* Tocantins, a state in Brazil* Tocantins River, a river in Brazil* Survivor: Tocantins, a reality show set in Tocantins, Brazil* Tocantins Esporte Clube, a Brazilian football club... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 0 |
The Mensalão scandal
In July 2005, members of the party suffered a sequence of corruption accusations, started by a deputyChamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
of the Brazilian Labour Party
Brazilian Labour Party (current)
The Brazilian Labour Party is a center-right political party in Brazil founded in 1981 by Ivete Vargas, niece of President Getúlio Vargas. It claims the legacy of the historical PTB, although many historians reject this because the early version of PTB was a center-left party with wide support in...
(Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro - PTB), Roberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson
Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco is a Brazilian politician. He was born on June 14, 1953 in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Neusa Dalva Monteiro Francisco and Roberto Francisco...
. Serious evidence for slush funding and bribes-for-votes were presented, dragging PT to the most serious crisis in its history - known colloquially as the Mensalão.
José Genoíno
José Genoíno
José Genoino Guimarães Neto is a Brazilian politician.Born in Quixeramobim in the state of Ceará, he fought as a guerrilla in one of the movements against the Brazilian military leaders Emílio Garrastazu Médici and Ernesto Geisel who ruled Brazil in the seventies...
resigned as president of the party and was replaced by Tarso Genro
Tarso Genro
Tarso Fernando Herz Genro is a Brazilian politician, and a member of the Workers' Party . As a result of the Mensalão scandal, Genro served the remainder of José Genoíno's term as party president in 2005...
, former mayor of Porto Alegre.
A small minority of party members defected as a result of the crisis. Most of them went to PSOL.
2006 electoral scandal
A new scandal was unfolded in September 2006, just two weeks before general elections. As a result, Berzoni left the coordination of Lula's re-election after an alleged use of PT's budget (which is partially state-funded, through party allowances) to purchase, from a confessed fraudster, a dossier that would be used to attack political adversaries. On April 25, 2007, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal unanimously cleared Lula of any responsibility for this scandal.Organization
Since its inception the party has been led by:- Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
(10 February 1980 - 1994) - Rui FalcãoRui FalcãoRui Falcão is a Brazilian politician, the incumbent president of the Workers' Party . He also served as the President of the Workers' Party in 1994 and was elected again president of the party to the term 2011-2013. He was the Secretary of Government of São Paulo during Marta Suplicy's...
(1994) - José DirceuJosé DirceuJosé Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva is a Brazilian politician.He participated in a revolutionary armed group following the Brazilian military coup of 1964, and was exiled in 1969. He returned in 1980 and was active politically, his highest post was as the chief-of-staff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's...
(1995–2002) - José GenoínoJosé GenoínoJosé Genoino Guimarães Neto is a Brazilian politician.Born in Quixeramobim in the state of Ceará, he fought as a guerrilla in one of the movements against the Brazilian military leaders Emílio Garrastazu Médici and Ernesto Geisel who ruled Brazil in the seventies...
(2002–2005) - Tarso GenroTarso GenroTarso Fernando Herz Genro is a Brazilian politician, and a member of the Workers' Party . As a result of the Mensalão scandal, Genro served the remainder of José Genoíno's term as party president in 2005...
(2005) (interim) - Ricardo BerzoiniRicardo BerzoiniRicardo Berzoini was the President of the Workers' Party of Brazil from 2005 to 2010. He has served as minister for social security.-References:...
(2005–2006) - Marco Aurélio GarciaMarco Aurélio GarciaMarco Aurélio Garcia is a Brazilian politician, and a member of the Workers' Party . He is a former Professor of Latin American History at UNICAMP University. He served as interim party president from 6 October 2006 to 2 January 2007. Ricardo Berzoini preceded and succeeded Garcia as party president...
(6 October 2006 - 2 January 2007) (interim) - Ricardo Berzoini (2 January 2007 - February 19, 2010)
- José Eduardo Dutra (since February 19, 2010)
Factions
There are about thirty factionsPolitical faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
(tendências) within the PT, ranging from Articulação, the center-left group that Lula is a part of, to Marxists
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and Christian socialists
Christian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
.
Former factions
- Workers' Cause - seceded from the party in 1990 as the Workers' Cause Party
- Socialist Convergence - seceded in 1993 as part of United Socialist Workers' PartyUnited Socialist Workers' PartyThe Unified Socialist Workers' Party is a Trotskyist organisation in Brazil. It is the largest section of the International Workers' League , an international body of groups in the Morenoist tradition....
- Popular Socialist Action - Trotskyist faction that seceded in 2005 and joined the Socialism and Freedom PartySocialism and Freedom PartyThe Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,...
, which was formed by other PT factions in the year before. - Tendency for the Workers' Revolutionary Party - Trotskyist faction that seceded in 1990 as the Workers' Revolutionary Party
- Socialism and Freedom PartySocialism and Freedom PartyThe Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,...
Tendencies categorized as the "Left-wing Workers' Party"
- The Worker
- Marxist Left (Esquerda Marxista) Brazilian section of the IMTInternational Marxist TendencyThe International Marxist Tendency is an international socialist organisation based on the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky. The late Ted Grant was its chief theoretician and the person who built the organisation since its beginning. Currently, Alan Woods and Lal Khan are its best known...
- Left Articulation
- Socialist DemocracySocialist Democracy (Brazil)Socialist Democracy is a Trotskyist group in Brazil. Formed in 1979, DS was affiliated to the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. DS was one of the first groups to affiliate with the Workers' Party when the PT formed in 1980. The activists in Socialist Democracy hoped to transform the...
- Radical Democracy
- Socialist Brazil
- Socialist Forum
Other tendencies
- PT Movement
- Action and Socialist Identity Movement
- Unity and Struggle Articulation
Relations with the British Labour Party
Prior to the 1998 general elections, Peter MandelsonPeter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
, a close aide to British prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
and Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
leader Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, stated that the Workers' Party's proposals for the 1998 presidential elections represented "an old-fashioned and out-of-date socialism." Representatives of the Workers' Party publicly protested this statement. Labour-Workers' Party relations have since improved.
Famous members
Its members are known as petistas, from the Portuguese acronym "PT".- Aloízio MercadanteAloízio MercadanteAloízio Mercadante Oliva is an economist and Brazilian politician. He was one of the founders of the Workers' Party in February, 1980, and served as vice-president of the party from 1991 to 1999.-See also:...
- Ana Julia CarepaAna Julia CarepaAna Julia Carepa is a Brazilian politician, and was the Governor of the Brazilian state of Pará. She is Pará's first female governor, and is a member of the Workers' Party.- References :...
- Antônio PalocciAntonio PalocciAntonio Palocci Filho is a Brazilian physician and politician, and former Chief of Staff of Brazil under President Dilma Rousseff . He was the Finance minister of the Brazilian federal government from January 1, 2003 until March 27, 2006 , during the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva...
- Arlindo ChinagliaArlindo ChinagliaArlindo Chinaglia is a Brazilian politician and former President of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil 2007–2009. He represents the state of São Paulo in the National Congress of Brazil for the Workers' Party.- External links :*...
- Benedita da SilvaBenedita da SilvaBenedita Souza da Silva Sampaio, is a Brazilian politician. During her life she faced a lot of prejudice for her humble origin, but she overcame the adversities and was Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro and, later, Minister of State in the Government of Luiz Inacio Lula da...
- Binho MarquesBinho MarquesBinho Marques is a Brazilian politician, and the current Governor of Acre. He is a member of the Workers' Party.-References:...
- Chico BuarqueChico BuarqueFrancisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
- Chico MendesChico MendesFrancisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes , was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous peoples...
- Dilma RousseffDilma RousseffDilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva....
- Eduardo SuplicyEduardo SuplicyEduardo Matarazzo Suplicy is a Brazilian left-wing politician, economist and professor. He is one of the founders and main political figures on the Workers Party of Brazil .-Biography:...
- Fernando PimentelFernando da Mata PimentelFernando Damata Pimentel was the Mayor of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil . Mayor Pimentel is a member of the Workers' Party .In 2005 he was a finalist for World Mayor.-External links:*...
- Guido MantegaGuido MantegaGuido Mantega is a Brazilian economist, politician and currently Brazil's Finance Minister. He graduated in Economics from the Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade of the University of São Paulo and is a professor of Economics at several leading universities of São Paulo.He has...
- Jaques WagnerJaques WagnerJaques Wagner is a Brazilian politician, and the current Governor of Bahia. He was a founding member of the Workers' Party , as well as the Central Única dos Trabalhadores , a union which has organized more than 7 million members. He is candidate for reelection in the 2010 Brazilian...
- João Paulo CunhaJoão Paulo CunhaJoão Paulo Cunha is a deputy of the Brazilian Workers Party from São Paulo and was elected president of the House of Representatives in 2003. He left this position in 2005.-References:...
- Luis FavreLuis FavreLuis Favre is the pseudonym of Argentine-born Brazilian journalist and political activist Felipe Belisario Wermus. Born in Buenos Aires, Favre joined the political party Politica Obrera as a young man. Later, he moved to France and became a member of the Internationalist Communist Organisation ,...
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In English
- Baiocchi, Gianpaolo - Radicals in Power: The Workers' Party and Experiments in Urban Democracy in Brazil
- Branford, Sue and Bernardo Kucinski - Lula and the Workers' Party in Brazil
- Keck, Margaret E. - The Workers' Party and Democratization in Brazil
In Portuguese
- Couto, A. J. Paula - O PT em pílulas
- Dacanal, José Hildebrando - A nova classe no poder
- Demier, Felipe - As Transformações do PT e os Rumos da Esquerda no Brasil
- Godoy, Dagoberto Lima - Neocomunismo no Brasil
- Harnecker, Martha - O sonho era possível; São Paulo, Casa das Américas, 1994.
- Hohlfeldt, Antônio - O fascínio da estrela
- Moura, Paulo - PT - Comunismo ou Social-Democracia?
- Paula Couto, Adolpho João de - A face oculta da estrela
- Pedrosa, Mário - Sobre o PT; São Paulo, CHED Editorial, 1980.
- Pluggina, Percival - Crônicas contra o totalitarismo
- Tavares, José Antônio Giusti with Fernando Schüller, Ronaldo Moreira Brum and Valério Rohden - Totalitarismo tardio - o caso do PT
- Singer, André - O PT - Folha Explica