Democrat Party (Brazil)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Democratas


Image:DEM LogoHorizontal.jpg

President	Rodrigo Maia

Founded	January 24, 1985
Headquarters	SENADO FEDERAL - ANEXO - I - Sala 2602 - 26º Andar Brasília

Political Ideology	Liberal conservatism, Christian Democracy, Conservative liberalism
International Affiliation	Christian Democrat Organisation of America
Colours	green, yellow, blue
TSE Identification Number	25

Website	http://www.democratas.org.br

See also	Politics of Brazil Political parties Elections

The Democrat Party (Democratas) is a political party in Brazil.

The Democrat Party (DEM) is considered the main party of the right-wing of Brazil. Despite its name, the party affiliates itself to the Christian Democrat International. The Liberal Front Party’s electoral code is the 25 and its colors are green, yellow and blue.

[edit] History

The party is a heir of the liberal factions of the ARENA (Aliança Renovadora Nacional), which supported the Military Dictatorship of 1964 and of the National Democratic Union (UDN) - political force which was prominent in the 1950s. The party was founded after a split in the Democratic Social Party (ex-ARENA), as Liberal Front in 1985, and supported the presidential candidacy of Tancredo Neves of the Brazilian Party for Democratic Movement, against the official candidate Paulo Maluf.

At the legislative elections, 6 October 2002, the party won 84 out of 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 19 out of 81 seats in the Senate. At the elections of October 1, 2006, the party won 65 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 18 of 81 seats in the Senate. It is the largest party in the Senate. The party does not run presidential candidates. It does run gubernatorial candidates in several states. At the 2006 elections the party lost several state governorships, but it won the governorship of the Distrito Federal. In 2007, the party received the current name.

[edit] Ideology

The party is considered to hold right-wing political and economic positions, though it is also generally regarded as a very "pragmatic" party, often engaging in political alliances with parties whose position on the political spectrum is diametrically opposed to the PFL's.

It was part of Fernando Henrique Cardoso's government coalition, and is currently one of the two main opposition parties to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Workers' Party government (the other being the Brazilian Social Democracy Party).