List of political parties in Brazil
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Brazil has a multi-party system since 1979, when the country's military dictatorship disbanded an enforced two-party system and allowed the creation of multiple parties. All candidates for federal, state, municipal, and Federal District offices must be nominated by a political party. Independent politicians are not allowed to run for office in Brazil.
The Brazilian National Congress has been since characterized by political fragmentation, reaching a peak of 35 registered political parties in 2018, 30 of which were represented in congress after the 2018 general election, with an effective number of parties of 16.5. An electoral threshold introduced in 2017, which restricted access to party subsidies and free party political broadcasts, combined with the end of coalitions in proportional elections, has since caused this number to decrease. Since 2021, parties are allowed to unite under party federations, with a minimum duration of four years, sharing a common statute and leadership.
Since the 2022 general election, the Liberal Party (PL), the Workers' Party (PT), the Brazil Union (UNIÃO), the Progressives (PP), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) and the Republicans together control over 80% of the Brazilian Congress, along with over 70% of the mayors in municipalities.
Brazilian parties have access to party subsidies in the form of Fundo Partidário (lit. 'Party Fund') and Fundo Eleitoral (lit. 'Electoral Fund'), and a system of free party political broadcasts during election time known as the horário eleitoral gratuito.
Since 1982, Brazilian political parties have been given an electoral number to make it easier for illiterate people to vote. Initially, it was a one-digit number: 1 for PDS, 2 for PDT, 3 for PT, 4 for PTB, and 5 for PMDB. When it became clear that there was going to be more than nine parties, two-digit numbers were assigned, with the first five parties having a "1" added to their former one-digit number (PDS becoming number 11, PDT 12, PT 13, PTB 14, and PMDB 15). Political parties often change their names, but they can retain their number.