List of political parties in Brazil

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This article lists political parties in Brazil.

Brazil has a multi-party system with numerous political parties sharing the vote, in which no single party has a chance of gaining power alone, so that they must work with each other to form coalition governments. The ideologies of the different parties are not always universally adhered to, as many of them are in fact loose coalitions of local and individual leaderships.

Above the broad range of political parties in Brazilian Parliament since there is no election threshold, the Workers' Party (PT), the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) and the Democrats (DEM) together control the absolute majority of seats in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, and effectively have dominated Brazilian political landscape since the returning of democracy in 1985. Smaller parties often make alliances with at least one of these four major parties.

Since 1982 Brazilian political parties are given a number to make 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, a two-digit number was 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). Often political parties change their names but retain their number.

Summary of parliamentary Parties

In the Federal Senate

As of November 2012

• 20 seats: PMDB
• 12 seats: PT
• 10 seats: PSDB
• 6 seats: PR, PTB
• 5 seats: PDT, PP
• 4 seats: DEM, PSB
• 2 seats: PCdoB, PSD
• 1 seat: PPL, PRB, PSC, PSoL, PV

In the Chamber of Deputies

As of November 9, 2012

• 86 seats: PT
• 78 seats: PMDB
• 51 seats: PSDB
• 48 seats: PSD
• 39 seats: PP
• 35 seats: PR
• 32 seats: PSB
• 28 seats: DEM
• 25 seats: PDT
• 19 seats: PTB
• 16 seats: PSC
• 13 seats: PCdoB
• 10 seats: PV, PRB
• 9 seats: PPS
• 3 seats: PSoL, PTdoB
• 2 seats: PEN
• 1 seat: PRTB, PTC, PHS, PMN, PSL, PRP

Current parties

Party name (Portuguese)	Party name (English)	Siglum	TSE number	Registration date	Number of members	Ideology	Position
Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro	Brazilian Democratic Movement Party	PMDB	15	June 30, 1981	2,354,388	Centrism, Populism, Syncretic politics	Centre
Partido dos Trabalhadores	Workers' Party	PT	13	February 11, 1982	1,549,261	Social democracy, Democratic socialism	Centre-left
Partido Progressista	Progressive Party	PP	11	November 16, 1995	1,415,620	Conservatism, Liberal conservatism, Populism	Centre-right/ Right-wing
Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira	Brazilian Social Democracy Party	PSDB	45	August 24, 1988	1,353,686	Social democracy, Social liberalism, Christian democracy	Centre
Partido Democrático Trabalhista	Democratic Labour Party	PDT	12	November 10, 1981	1,207,639	Democratic socialism, Populism, Labour movement	Centre-left
Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro	Brazilian Labour Party	PTB	14	November 3, 1981	1,180,541	Centrism, Populism, Federalism, Nationalism	Centre-right
Democratas	Democrats	DEM	25	September 11, 1986	1,094,593	Economic liberalism, Liberal conservatism, Christian democracy	Right-wing
Partido da República	Party of the Republic	PR	22	December 19, 2006	764,375	Conservatism, Nationalism	Centre-right
Partido Socialista Brasileiro	Brazilian Socialist Party	PSB	40	July 1, 1988	577,233	Social democracy, Democratic socialism	Centre-left
Partido Popular Socialista	Socialist People's Party	PPS	23	March 19, 1992	467,199	Social democracy, Social liberalism	Centre
Partido Social Cristão	Social Christian Party	PSC	20	March 29, 1990	364,664	Conservatism, Christian democracy	Centre-right
Partido Comunista do Brasil	Communist Party of Brazil	PCdoB	65	June 23, 1988	337,355	Communism, Marxism-Leninism	Centre-left/ Left-wing
Partido Verde	Green Party	PV	43	September 30, 1993	336,017	Green politics	Centre/ Centre-right
Partido Republicano Brasileiro	Brazilian Republican Party	PRB	10	August 25, 2005	287,356	Centrism, Populism, Syncretic politics	Centre-right
Partido da Mobilização Nacional	Party of National Mobilization	PMN	33	October 25, 1990	216,121	Left-wing nationalism, Agrarianism	Centre
Partido Republicano Progressista	Progressive Republican Party	PRP	44	October 29, 1991	214,415	Progressivism, Conservatism, Populism	Centre-right
Partido Social Liberal	Social Liberal Party	PSL	17	June 2, 1998	199,112	Social liberalism, Centrism	Centre-right
Partido Social Democrático	Social Democratic Party	PSD	55	September 27, 2011	174,662	Centrism, Syncretic politics, Economic liberalism	Centre-right
Partido Trabalhista Cristão	Christian Labour Party	PTC	36	February 22, 1990	172,931	Conservatism, Christian democracy, Populism	Centre-right
Partido Social Democrata Cristão	Christian Social Democratic Party	PSDC	27	August 5, 1997	165,609	Christian democracy, Populism	Centre-right
Partido Trabalhista do Brasil	Labour Party of Brazil	PTdoB	70	October 11, 1994	159,378	Centrism, Populism, Labour movement, Nationalism	Centre/Centre-right
Partido Humanista da Soliedariedade	Humanist Party of Solidarity	PHS	31	March 20, 1997	141,534	Distributism, Humanism, Christian democracy	Centre
Partido Trabalhista Nacional	National Labour Party	PTN	19	October 2, 1997	126,060	Labour movement, Populism	Centre/Centre-right
Partido Renovador Trabalhista Brasileiro	Brazilian Labour Renewal Party	PRTB	28	March 28, 1995	113,735	Labour movement, Centrism, Populism	Centre/Centre-right
Partido Socialismo e Liberdade	Socialism and Freedom Party	PSOL	50	September 15, 2005	66,043	Libertarian socialism, Trotskyism, Participatory democracy	Left-wing
Partido Comunista Brasileiro	Brazilian Communist Party	PCB	21	March 9, 1996	15,937	Communism, Marxism-Leninism	Left-wing
Partido Pátria Livre	Free Homeland Party	PPL	54	October 4, 2011	14,027	Scientific socialism, Left-wing nationalism	Centre-left
Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado	United Socialist Workers' Party	PSTU	16	December 19, 1995	13,294	Trotskyism	Left-wing/Far-left
Partido da Causa Operária	Workers' Cause Party	PCO	29	September 30, 1997	2,746	Trotskyism	Far-left
Partido Ecológico Nacional	National Ecologic Party	PEN	51	June 19, 2012	248	Green politics, Humanism, Centrism	Centre-right

Non-registered

Waiting for registration in the Electoral Court (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral)

Siglum	Name (Portuguese)	Name (English)	Ideology	Position
ARENA	Aliança Renovadora Nacional	National Renewal Alliance	Conservatism, Nationalism, Tecnoprogressivism, Christian politics, Authoritarianism, Monarchism (in some sectors)	Right-wing/far-right
CON	Conservadores	Conservatives	Conservatism	Right-wing
LIBER	Libertários	Libertarians	Right-libertarianism, Minarchism	Centre-right/right-wing
PCML	Partido Comunista Marxista-Leninista	Marxist-Leninist Communist Party	Marxism-Leninism, Stalinism	Far-left
PCR	Partido Comunista Revolucionário	Revolutionary Communist Party	Stalinism, Marxism-Leninism	Far-left
PF	Partido Federalista	Federalist Party	Federalism, Liberal conservatism	Centre-right/right-wing
PH	Partido Humanista	Humanist Party	Humanist Movement	Centre
PIRATAS	Partido Pirata do Brasil	Pirate Party of Brazil	Pirate politics, Freedom of information	Centre-left/left-wing
PNC	Partido Nacional do Consumidor	National Consumers' Party	Consumer protection	Centre
PSN	Partido da Solidariedade Nacional	National Solidarity Party	Centrism, Christian democracy	Centre/centre-right

Former

Recently absorbed or merged parties

Siglum	Name (Portuguese)	Name (English)	Ideology	Merged in	Year
PSD	Partido Social Democrático	Social Democratic Party	Centrism, Social democracy	PTB	2002
PGT	Partido Geral dos Trabalhadores	General Party of the Workers	Centrism, Social democracy	PL	2002
PST	Partido Social Trabalhista	Social Labour Party	Centrism	PL	2002
PAN	Partido dos Aposentados da Nação	Party of the Nation's Retirees	Centrism	PTB	2006
PL	Partido Liberal	Liberal Party	Centrism, Populism	PR	2006
PRONA	Partido da Reedificação da Ordem Nacional	Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order	Nationalism, Populism	PR	2006

Historical

Siglum	Name (Portuguese)	Name (English)	Ideology	Lifetime
PCB	Partido Comunista Brasileiro	Brazilian Communist Party	Communism	1922–1992
PL	Partido Libertador	Liberator Party	Federalism	1928-1937, 1945-1965
AIB	Ação Integralista Brasileira	Brazilian Integralist Action	Integralism, Fascism	1933–1938
PRP	Partido de Representação Popular	Popular Representation Party	Integralism, National conservatism	1945–1966
PTB	Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro	Brazilian Labour Party	Nationalism, Populism	1945–1966;
PSD	Partido Social Democrático	Social Democratic Party	Conservatism, Populism	1945–1966
UDN	União Democrática Nacional	National Democratic Union	Conservatism	1945–1966
PSP	Partido Social Progresista	Progressive Social Party	Conservatism, Populism	1947–1966
ARENA	Aliança Renovadora Nacional	National Renewal Alliance Party	Conservatism, Nationalism	1966–1979
MDB	Movimento Democrático Brasileiro	Brazilian Democratic Movement	Centrism	1966–1979
PDS	Partido Democrático Social	Democratic Social Party	Conservatism	1979–1993
PDC	Partido Democrata Cristão	Christian Democratic Party	Christian democracy, Conservatism	1945-66; 1985–1993
PPR	Partido Progressista Reformador	Reform Progressive Party	Conservatism, Christian democracy	1993–1995
PRN	Partido da Reconstrução Nacional	National Reconstruction Party	Centrism, Populism	1989–2000

See also

• Brazilian general election, 2010
• List of political parties by country
• Liberalism in Brazil