Brazilian general election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The first round of the Brazil
ian general election of 2010 was held on Sunday, October 3, 2010. The Presidency of the Republic
, all 513 Chamber of Deputies
seats and 54 out of 81 Federal Senate
seats were contested in this election, along with governorships and state legislatures of all 26 states and the Federal District. On October 31, a run-off was held for president and eight state governorships that did not reach 50% plus one of the valid votes cast in the first round.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
, of the Workers' Party
, as President Lula's second, four-year term in office was coming to an end and he was constitutionally prohibited from running for a third, consecutive term. 2010 marked the first time since the first election after the redemocratization
in which he did not run for President.
As no candidate received absolute majority of the valid cast votes in the first round, a second round, run-off was required to be held on October 31, at which time Lula's designated successor, Worker's Party candidate Dilma Rousseff
, defeated the candidate of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party
, José Serra
, 56% to 44%. Rousseff, thereby, becomes Brazilian first female president.
), Alcides Rodrigues (Goiás
), Blairo Maggi (Mato Grosso
), Eduardo Braga (Amazonas), Ivo Cassol (Rondônia
), Luiz Henrique da Silveira (Santa Catarina
), Marcelo Miranda (Tocantins
), Paulo Hartung (Espírito Santo
), Roberto Requião (Paraná
), Waldez Góes (Amapá
), Wilma de Faria (Rio Grande do Norte
) and Wellington Dias (Piauí
) were all elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 and thus are not allowed to run again. After his involvement in an ongoing corruption scandal in late 2009, Federal District Governor José Roberto Arruda left the Democrats party (and was later arrested), also becoming ineligible since it is required for citizens seeking to run for any public office in the country to be a registered party member for at least a year before the predicted election date.
All 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, were up for election. According to the Constitution, federal deputies are elected directly to a four-year term, and there is no limit on the number of terms.
As a result of the parliamentary election, the Lulista coalition
took control of the majority of seats in both houses.
will be up for election. According to the Constitution, State Assemblies are unicameral
, and its members, who are designated as state deputies, are elected directly to a four-year term, with no limit on the number of terms.
On September 2, 2010, the Supreme Federal Court overturned the decision.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian general election of 2010 was held on Sunday, October 3, 2010. The Presidency of the Republic
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
, all 513 Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
seats and 54 out of 81 Federal Senate
Senate of Brazil
The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
seats were contested in this election, along with governorships and state legislatures of all 26 states and the Federal District. On October 31, a run-off was held for president and eight state governorships that did not reach 50% plus one of the valid votes cast in the first round.
President
On October 3, 2010, Brazilian citizens eligible to vote were required by law to choose a successor to PresidentPresident of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
, of the Workers' Party
Workers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
, as President Lula's second, four-year term in office was coming to an end and he was constitutionally prohibited from running for a third, consecutive term. 2010 marked the first time since the first election after the redemocratization
Brazilian presidential election, 1989
The Brazilian presidential election of 1989 was the first direct presidential election in Brazil since 1960.-Historical context:On January 15, 1985, Tancredo Neves won the election for president on the electoral college, represented by Deputies and Senators, putting an end to the 21-year-old...
in which he did not run for President.
As no candidate received absolute majority of the valid cast votes in the first round, a second round, run-off was required to be held on October 31, at which time Lula's designated successor, Worker's Party candidate Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff
Dilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva....
, defeated the candidate of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party
Brazilian Social Democracy Party
The Brazilian Social Democracy Party is a centrist political party in Brazil. Originally a centre-left party at the time of its foundation, PSDB moved to the centre after Fernando Henrique Cardoso forged an alliance with the right-wing Liberal...
, José Serra
José Serra
José Serra is a Brazilian politician, former secretary of state, congressman, senator, minister of Planning and Minister of Health, mayor of São Paulo and Governor of São Paulo state.-Background:...
, 56% to 44%. Rousseff, thereby, becomes Brazilian first female president.
Governors
All 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District governors will be up for election. If none of the candidates receives a majority of valid votes in the first round, a run-off will be held on October 31, 2010. According to the Constitution, governors are elected directly to a four-year term, with a limit of two terms. Aécio Neves (Minas GeraisMinas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
), Alcides Rodrigues (Goiás
Goiás
Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
), Blairo Maggi (Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
), Eduardo Braga (Amazonas), Ivo Cassol (Rondônia
Rondônia
Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...
), Luiz Henrique da Silveira (Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
), Marcelo Miranda (Tocantins
Tocantins
Tocantins may refer to:* Tocantins, a state in Brazil* Tocantins River, a river in Brazil* Survivor: Tocantins, a reality show set in Tocantins, Brazil* Tocantins Esporte Clube, a Brazilian football club...
), Paulo Hartung (Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
), Roberto Requião (Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
), Waldez Góes (Amapá
Amapá
Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
), Wilma de Faria (Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
) and Wellington Dias (Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
) were all elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 and thus are not allowed to run again. After his involvement in an ongoing corruption scandal in late 2009, Federal District Governor José Roberto Arruda left the Democrats party (and was later arrested), also becoming ineligible since it is required for citizens seeking to run for any public office in the country to be a registered party member for at least a year before the predicted election date.
National Congress
Fifty-four of the 81 seats in the Federal Senate, the upper house, were up for election. According to the Constitution, senators are elected directly to an eight-year term, and there is no limit on the number of terms. Alternately, one third and two thirds of the seats are up for election every four years. In 2006, one third of the seats were up for election and thus in 2010 there were two thirds, corresponding to two senators for each one of the 26 Brazilian states, plus two senators for the Federal District.All 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, were up for election. According to the Constitution, federal deputies are elected directly to a four-year term, and there is no limit on the number of terms.
As a result of the parliamentary election, the Lulista coalition
For Brazil to keep on changing
For Brazil to keep on changing is the name of an electoral coalition formed around the democratic socialist Workers' Party in Brazil for the 2010 presidential election. It comprised ten parties from the left and center spectrums: PT, PMDB, PCdoB, PDT, PRB, PR, PSB, PSC, PTC and PTN. On October...
took control of the majority of seats in both houses.
| Political groups in the National Congress after the 2010 election |
|---|
| Chamber |
| Lulista bloc: Centre-Right bloc: Greens Green Party (Brazil) The Brazilian Green Party was constituted after the military dictatorship period and, like other Green Parties around the world, is committed to establishing a set of policies on ensuring social-democracy and sustainable development... : PSOL Socialism and Freedom Party The Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,... : |
| Senate |
| Lulista bloc: Centre-Right bloc: PSOL Socialism and Freedom Party The Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,... : |
State Assemblies
All seats in the State AssembliesLegislative Assemblies of Brazilian states
In Brazil, a legislative assembly is the state-level legislature. All legislative assemblies are unicameral, with elected members who are designated as state deputies, and who serve four-year terms.* Legislative Assembly of Acre...
will be up for election. According to the Constitution, State Assemblies are unicameral
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
, and its members, who are designated as state deputies, are elected directly to a four-year term, with no limit on the number of terms.
Controversy
A Brazilian court banned all political spoofs in the runup to the elections. This was condemnation where protestors sought to have a petition signed to undo the ban.On September 2, 2010, the Supreme Federal Court overturned the decision.