The 2014 Elections and the Brazilian Party System

The Brazilian party system presents a paradox. Although the Workers Party (PT) and the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) have controlled presidential elections for the last 20 years, their force at the other levels of electoral competition has not grown. The objective of this study is to undertake a discussion of this situation through the 2014 general elections. After attempting to explain why successive challengers have not been able to change the structure of competition for the Brazilian presidency, I will analyze the relation established between the pattern observed at this level and the other “connected” electoral disputes—both those for state executive and federal legislative office. The general conclusion is that even if the pattern continues, it is quite improbable that this will significantly impact the other levels of national political party competition.

巴西政党体系呈现出一处悖论。尽管劳工党（Workers Party，PT）与巴西社会民主党（Brazilian Social Democratic Party，PSDB）在过去20年间主导了总统选举，但二者在其他层级选举竞争中的影响力并未得到提升。本研究旨在通过2014年大选对这一现状展开研讨：在尝试阐释历届挑战者为何未能撼动巴西总统选举的竞争格局之后，本文将分析该层级所呈现的模式与其他“关联”选举角逐——涵盖州行政长官与联邦立法机构席位选举——之间的内在关联。总体结论为，即便这一格局持续存续，其对国家其他层级政党竞争产生显著影响的可能性也极低。