List of political parties in Brazil

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. ^[1] All candidates for federal, state, Federal District, and municipal 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 the apex of 35 in 2018, 30 of which were represented in congress after the 2018 general election ^{[2] [3] [4]} , with an effective number of parties of 16.5. ^[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 caused this number to decrease since. ^{[5] [6]} Since 2021, parties are allowed to unite for a minimum of four years, sharing a common statute and leadership, under party federations. ^[7]

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. ^{[8] [9]}

Brazilian parties have access to party subsidies in the form of Fundo Partidário (lit. 'Party Fund') and Fundo Eleitoral (lit. 'Electoral Fund') ^[10] , and a system of free party political broadcasts during election time known as the horário eleitoral gratuito. ^[11]

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).^{[ citation needed ]} Political parties often change their names, but they can retain their number.

Active parties

Parties with representation in the National Congress

Logo		Party		Ideology	Political position	Leader(s)	Chamber [12]	Senate [13]	Assemblies [14]	Governors
		Liberal Party Partido Liberal	PL	Right-wing populism [15] Bolsonarism [16] [17]	Right-wing to far-right	Valdemar Costa Neto	86 / 513	14 / 81	128 / 1,059	2 / 27
		Workers' Party Partido dos Trabalhadores	PT	Social democracy Lulism	Centre-left to left-wing	Edinho Silva	67 / 513	9 / 81	118 / 1,059	4 / 27
		Brazil Union União Brasil	UNIÃO	Liberal conservatism Economic liberalism	Centre-right	Antônio de Rueda	59 / 513	7 / 81	98 / 1,059	4 / 27
		Progressives Progressistas	PP	Big tent Liberal conservatism	Centre-right	Ciro Nogueira	50 / 513	7 / 81	86 / 1,059	2 / 27
		Republicans Republicanos	Repub.	Conservatism Christian right	Right-wing	Marcos Pereira	46 / 513	4 / 81	76 / 1,059	2 / 27
		Social Democratic Party Partido Social Democrático	PSD	Big tent Economic liberalism	Centre to centre-right	Gilberto Kassab	46 / 513	13 / 81	79 / 1,059	4 / 27
		Brazilian Democratic Movement Movimento Democrático Brasileiro	MDB	Big tent Economic liberalism	Centre to centre-right	Baleia Rossi	42 / 513	12 / 81	94 / 1,059	3 / 27
		We Can Podemos	PODE	Liberal conservatism	Centre-right	Renata Abreu	17 / 513	4 / 81	48 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Democratic Labour Party Partido Democrático Trabalhista	PDT	Labourism Left-wing nationalism	Centre-left to left-wing	Carlos Lupi	16 / 513	3 / 81	44 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Brazilian Socialist Party Partido Socialista Brasileiro	PSB	Social democracy Progressivism	Centre-left	João Henrique Campos	16 / 513	4 / 81	54 / 1,059	3 / 27
		Brazilian Social Democracy Party Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira	PSDB	Liberalism	Centre	Marconi Perillo	13 / 513	3 / 81	55 / 1,059	1 / 27
		Socialism and Liberty Party Partido Socialismo e Liberdade	PSOL	Democratic socialism [18] [19] Anti-capitalism [18] [19] Progressivism [20]	Left-wing	Paula Coradi	12 / 513	0 / 81	22 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Communist Party of Brazil Partido Comunista do Brasil	PCdoB	Communism Marxism-Leninism	Left-wing	Luciana Santos	9 / 513	0 / 81	18 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Forward Avante	Avante	Labourism Christian solidarism Big tent	Right-wing	Luis Tibé	8 / 513	0 / 81	14 / 1,059	0 / 27
		New Party Partido Novo	NOVO	Conservative liberalism Right-libertarianism	Right-wing	Eduardo Ribeiro	5 / 513	1 / 81	5 / 1,059	1 / 27
		Solidarity Solidariedade	Solid.	Social democracy Third Way Big tent	Centre	Paulinho da Força	5 / 513	0 / 81	29 / 1,059	1 / 27
		Democratic Renewal Party Partido Renovação Democrática	PRD	Big tent National conservatism	Centre-right to right-wing	Marcus Vinícius Neskau	5 / 513	0 / 81	25 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Green Party Partido Verde	PV	Green politics Green liberalism	Centre-left	José Luiz Penna	4 / 513	0 / 81	20 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Citizenship Cidadania	Cidad.	Liberalism [21] Progressivism [21]	Centre	Comte Bittencourt	4 / 513	0 / 81	19 / 1,059	0 / 27
		Sustainability Network Rede Sustentabilidade	REDE	Green politics	Centre-left	Paulo Lamac, Iaraci Dias	3 / 513	0 / 81	6 / 1,059	0 / 27

Parties without representation in the National Congress

Logo		Party		Ideology	Political position	Leader(s)	Assemblies [14]
		Brazilian Labour Renewal Party Partido Renovador Trabalhista Brasileiro	PRTB	Conservatism Janismo	Right-wing to far-right	Leonardo Avalanche, Pablo Marçal	6 / 1,059
		Act Agir	AGIR	Autistic people's interests	Centrism	Daniel Tourinho	5 / 1,059
		National Mobilization Mobilização Nacional	Mobiliza	Brazilian nationalism Third-worldism Big tent	Centre-right	Antonio Massarollo	5 / 1,059
		Brazilian Woman's Party Partido da Mulher Brasileira	PMB	Social conservatism Anti-feminism	Right-wing	Suêd Haidar	3 / 1,059
		Christian Democracy Democracia Cristã	DC	Christian democracy	Centre-right	José Maria Eymael	1 / 1,059
		Workers' Cause Party Partido da Causa Operária	PCO	Trotskyism Anti-Americanism	Far-left	Rui Costa Pimenta	—
		Brazilian Communist Party Partido Comunista Brasileiro	PCB	Marxism-Leninism	Far-left	Edmilson Costa	—
		United Socialist Workers' Party Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado	PSTU	Trotskyism Morenismo	Far-left	Zé Maria	—
		Popular Unity Unidade Popular	UP	Revolutionary socialism Anti-capitalism Anti-racism	Far-left	Léo Péricles	—
		Mission Missão	MISSÃO	National liberalism Bukelism Social conservatism	Right-wing	Renan Santos	—

Party federations

On 28 September 2021, Law No. 14,208 was enacted, establishing "federations" (Portuguese : federações). These federations are associations between parties, considered as a single party in elections and legislative activities such as the creation of caucuses and committees. The associated parties must belong to the federation for at least four years from the date of its registration, with penalties if they leave before the deadline.

The establishment of party federations followed the abolition of coalitions in proportional elections, which had functioned as single parties in seat allocation. This change was implemented through Constitutional Amendment No. 97 of 2017, which also introduced an electoral threshold for future parliamentary elections. Parties and federations that surpass this threshold gain access to public subsidies through the Party Fund (Portuguese : Fundo Partidário) and are entitled to free advertising on radio and television.

Below are listed the federations currently registered with the Superior Electoral Court: ^[22]

Federation	President	Representation [23] [24] [25]			Parties
		Deputies	Senators	Assemb.
Brazil of Hope Federation Federação Brasil da Esperança	Luciana Santos	80 / 513	9 / 81	156 / 1,059		PT
						PCdoB
						PV
PSDB Cidadania Federation Federação PSDB Cidadania	Marconi Perillo	17 / 513	3 / 81	74 / 1,059		PSDB
						Cidadania
PSOL REDE Federation Federação PSOL REDE	Paula Coradi	15 / 513	0 / 81	28 / 1,059		PSOL
						REDE

Extinct parties

This list presents the parties of the current Sixth Republic that were once registered with the Superior Electoral Court, but have ceased to exist. The existence of all these parties has ended by the result of mergers.

• Democrats - DEM (Democratas) ^[a]
• Party of the Nation's Retirees - PAN (Partido dos Aposentados da Nação)
• Christian Democratic Party (1985)  [ pt ] - PDC (Partido Democrata Cristão)
• Democratic Social Party - PDS (Partido Democrático Social)
• Workers' General Party - PGT (Partido Geral dos Trabalhadores)
• Humanist Party of Solidarity - PHS (Partido Humanista da Solidariedade) ^[b]
• Liberal Party (1985) - PL (Partido Liberal)
• Free Fatherland Party - PPL (Partido Pátria Livre)
• Progressive Party (1993) - PP (Partido Progressista)
• Reform Progressive Party - PPR (Partido Progressista Reformador)
• Party of Reconstruction of the National Order - PRONA (Partido de Reedificação da Ordem Nacional)
• Republican Party of the Social Order - PROS (Partido Republicano da Ordem Social)
• Progressive Republican Party - PRP (Partido Republicano Progressista)
• Social Christian Party - PSC (Partido Social Cristão)
• Social Democratic Party (1987) - PSD (Partido Social Democrático)
• Social Liberal Party - PSL (Partido Social Liberal)
• Social Labour Party (1983) - PST (Partido Social Trabalhista)
• Brazilian Labour Party (1981) - PTB (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro)
• Renewal Labour Party - PTR (Partido Trabalhista Renovador)
• Patriot (Patriota) ^[c]

Historical parties

This list presents the parties that never reached the Sixth Republic. Due to the large number of parties that were dissolved, especially during the First and Second Republics, it is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

Imperial Brazil (1822–1889)

• Conservative Party (Partido Conservador)
• Liberal Party (Partido Liberal)
• Progressive League (Liga Progressista) ^[d]

First and Second Republics (1889–1937)

• Paulista Republican Party - PRP (Partido Republicano Paulista)
• Rio-grandense Republican Party - PRR (Partido Republicano Rio-Grandense)
• Minas Gerais Republican Party - PRM (Partido Republicano Mineiro)
• Fluminense Republican Party - PRF (Partido Republicano Fluminense)
• Federal Republican Party - PRF (Partido Republicano Federal)
• Conservative Republican Party - PRC (Partido Republicano Conservador)
• Democratic Party - PD (Partido Democrático)
• Liberating Party - PL (Partido Libertador)
• Brazilian Black Front - FNB (Frente Negra Brasileira)
• Catholic Electoral League (Liga Eleitoral Católica)
• Brazilian Integralist Action - AIB (Ação Integralista Brasileira)

Fourth Republic (1945–1964)

• National Democratic Union - UDN (União Democrática Nacional)
• Brazilian Labour Party (1945) - PTB (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro)
• Brazilian Socialist Party (1945)  [ pt ] - PSB (Partido Socialista Brasileiro) ^[e]
• Orienting Labour Party - POT (Partido Orientador Trabalhista)
• Christian Democratic Party (1945)  [ pt ] - PDC (Partido Democrata Cristão)
• Social Democratic Party (1945) - PSD (Partido Social Democrático)
• Republican Party - PR (Partido Republicano)
• Popular Representation Party - PRP (Partido de Representação Popular)
• National Labour Party - PTN (Partido Trabalhista Nacional)
• Social Labour Party (1946)  [ pt ] - PST (Partido Social Trabalhista) ^[f]
• Social Progressive Party - PSP (Partido Social Progressista) ^[g]
• Republican Labour Party  [ pt ] - PRT (Partido Republicano Trabalhista) ^[h]
• Renewal Labour Movement  [ pt ] - MTR (Movimento Trabalhista Renovador)

Military Dictatorship (1964–1985)

• National Renewal Alliance - ARENA (Aliança Renovadora Nacional)
• Brazilian Democratic Movement - MDB (Movimento Democrático Brasileiro)

See also

• Politics of Brazil
• List of political parties by country

Notes

1. Known from 1985 to 2007 as the Party of the Liberal Front (Partido da Frente Liberal).
2. Known from 1995 to 1998 as the National Solidarist Party (Partido Solidarista Nacional), and from 1998 to 2000 as the Party of National Solidarity (Partido da Solidariedade Nacional).
3. Known from 2011 to 2017 as the National Ecological Party (Partido Ecológico Nacional).
4. Also called Progressive Party.
5. Known from 1945 to 1947 as the Democratic Left (Esquerda Democrática).
6. Known from 1946 to 1947 as the Proletarian Party of Brazil (Partido Proletário do Brasil).
7. Created from the merger of three parties: the National Agrarian Party (Partido Agrário Nacional), the Popular Syndicalist Party (Partido Popular Sindicalista) and the Progressive Republican Party (Partido Republicano Progressista).
8. Known from 1958 until its dissolution in 1965 as the Rural Labour Party (Partido Rural Trabalhista).

References

1. Sousa, Ana Cristina Augusto de; Silva, Lays Correa da (6 August 2021). "Redemocratização no Brasil: continuidade ou ruptura?". Topoi (Rio de Janeiro) (in Portuguese). 22 (47): 570–575. doi: 10.1590/2237-101X02204713 . ISSN   1518-3319. S2CID   238849517.
2. "Número de partidos na Câmara deve cair após ápice da fragmentação em 2018". Poder360 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 24 February 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
3. "Brasil tem 75 partidos políticos em processo de formação". Archived from the original on 19 November 2023.
4. "Brasil vai às urnas em outubro com 35 partidos". Senado Federal (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 October 2022.
5. Mali, Tiago (8 July 2023). "Brasil deixa de ter o Legislativo mais fragmentado do mundo". Poder360 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 22 November 2025.
6. "Contextos competitivos fazem diferença?: o efeito do fim das coligações proporcionais sobre a fragmentação partidária (2016-2020)".
7. "Saiba o que é uma federação partidária". Justiça Eleitoral (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 26 September 2025.
8. "G7 dos partidos políticos domina disputa a prefeituras e Congresso e mira 2026". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 May 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
9. "PSD se consolida à frente após 2º turno com 887 prefeituras; MDB e PP vêm em seguida". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 27 October 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
10. Fundo Partidário (estudo) Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine . Por Miriam Campelo de Melo Amorim. Brasília: Biblioteca Digital da Câmara dos Deputados, outubro de 2005.
11. "L9504". www.planalto.gov.br. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
12. "Bancadas atuais da Câmara dos Deputados". Chamber of Deputies . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
13. "Senadores em Exercício". Federal Senate . Retrieved 15 September 2024.
14. "Resultado da Eleição". sig.tse.jus.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 September 2024.
15. "O Populismo de Direita no Brasil: Neoliberalismo e Autoritarismo no Governo Bolsonaro".
16. "Ala vê impacto eleitoral na divisão 'PL raiz' e 'PL bolsonarista'" [Faction sees electoral impact in the division between “old school PL” and “Bolsonarist PL”]. Poder360 (in Portuguese). 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025. The PL president has always been used to a more pragmatic party that participates in governments. After Bolsonaro's entry, a large part of the party became more right-wing and inflexible towards some local alliances with parties that have a different ideological vision.
17. "PL muda estatuto para tentar liderar direita bolsonarista; 'exílio' incomoda partido" [PL changes statute to try to lead the Bolsonarist right; "exile" bothers party]. Estadão (in Portuguese). 3 January 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
18. Gentil, Vinicius Miranda (2018). Um lugar ao sol: o Partido Socialismo e Liberdade – PSOL – e novos arranjos políticos da nova esquerda [A place in the sun: the Socialism and Liberty Party – PSOL – and new political arrangements of the new left] (DSocSc thesis) (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
19. Oliveira, Heythor Santana de (2017). PSOL - Relação da origem no desenvolvimento de sua organização, participação eleitoral e atuação parlamentar [PSOL - Relationship between its origins and the development of its organization, electoral participation and parliamentary action] (MPS thesis) (in Portuguese). São Carlos: Federal University of São Carlos. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
20. Serafini, Mariana (15 December 2022). "Grilo falante: O PSOL quer ser a voz progressista na ampla aliança de apoio ao governo Lula" [A talking cricket: PSOL wants to be the progressive voice in the broad alliance supporting the Lula government]. CartaCapital (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
21. Silva, José Benedito da; Siqueira, André (3 January 2020). "Cidadania: o velho 'Partidão' ficou liberal" [Cidadania: the old "Partidão" became liberal]. Veja (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 July 2025. The change is not just cosmetic: the party has abandoned the Marxism-Leninism of the old days and the 'democratic socialism' of the years after the fall of the Berlin Wall to embrace a combination that unites the defense of economic liberalism with a strong progressive discourse in the social area.
    The move is not accidental. In recent months, the party has attracted various political renewal groups such as RenovaBR, Agora!, Livres and Acredito, all guided by a certain humanist liberalism and imbued with the pretension of building an alternative to the polarization between the right, represented by Bolsonaro, and the left, still led by Lula and the PT.
22. "Federações partidárias registradas no TSE". www.tse.jus.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 July 2025.
23. "Bancadas Atuais". www.camara.leg.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 July 2025.
24. "Senadores em Exercício". www25.senado.leg.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 July 2025.
25. "Resultado da Eleição". sig.tse.jus.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 July 2025.