Brazil's Experience with the Absolute Majority Election Rule since 1989

• In Event: Electoral Rules in Latin America: How Do They Affect Political Parties and Democracy?

Abstract

Brazil adopted the absolute majority rule for presidential elections in the 1988 constitution. A runoff election is required if no candidate achieves an absolute majority of the valid vote. The first such election for president was held in November 1989 with 22 candidates; Fernando Collor and Lula went to the runoff that Collor won by a 6 percentage point margin. The second round criterion was also applied to other executive offices-to governors and mayors in cities with more than 200,000 voters. Usually, more than 50% of elections for governor go to a second round. Presidential elections had another rule change in 1997 when a constitutional amendment permitted one immediate reelection. This paper examines the effects of these rules on political parties and democracy in Brazil.

Author

• David V Fleischer, Universidade de Brasília