Velhas Raposas, novos governistas : o PMDB e a democracia brasileira

Abstract

The objective of this research was to examine in detail one of the main political actors of the current Brazilian democracy: the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). More specifically, I sought to answer the following question: how a party created to be the legal opposition to the dictatorial regime has become a ruling party with the re-establishment of the democracy? To answer this question, firstly, PMDB´s importance for the formation of government coalitions was analyzed. Its central position in the Brazilian political spectrum and its widespread presence in the National Congress make it an ideal partner for the formation of parliamentary majorities. Secondly, I analyzed the importance of the participation in the government for PMDB. Its characteristics of centrality and political weight were investigated since its genesis. Heterogeneity, federalization, moderation and good electoral performance are the main causes for the formation of these characteristics in the 1980s. Nevertheless, the return to democracy imposed to PMDB a new political context and the need to adapt to it. Throughout the 1990s the party suffered an institutional conversion and a particular group, the governistas , took charge of its national direction. Electoral data, budget amendment data and interviews with party members provided more information about the political behavior and the transformations undergone by the party.