Democratic Renewal Party (Brazil)

Democratic Renewal Party
Partido Renovação Democrática
AbbreviationPRD
PresidentOvasco Resende
Founded26 October 2022 (2022-10-26)
Registered9 November 2023 (2023-11-09)
Merger ofBrazilian Labour Party
Patriota
HeadquartersBrasília, DF
Youth wingPRD Jovem
Women's wingPRD Mulher
Membership (2023)1,334,065[1]
IdeologyNational conservatism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
Party number25
Federal Senate
0 / 81
Chamber of Deputies
5 / 513
Website
prd25.org.br

The Democratic Renewal Party (Portuguese: Partido Renovação Democrática, PRD) is a political party in Brazil, established on 26 October 2022 from the merger of two conservative parties: the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) and Patriota. Said merger was motivated by the results of the 2022 general election, since both parties failed to obtain the number of votes to meet the electoral threshold. With the union, the votes of the two parties were summed up and the new organization was considered to have reached the threshold.[2]

With 1.3 million members in December 2023, it is the third largest party in the country.

History

As of the 2018 general election, a progressive electoral threshold was established for political parties in Brazil to have access to party subsidies and free electoral advertising on radio and television.[3] That year, Patriota did not meet the new criteria to be entitled to these benefits, the reason why it merged with the Progressive Republican Party.[4]

In 2022, the Brazilian Labour Party and Patriota failed to reach the threshold; therefore, the parties began negotiations for a merger.[2] On 26 October, the merger was approved in the national conventions of both parties, on the condition that controversial PTB politicians Roberto Jefferson and Eduardo Cunha did not join the new organization.[5] It was decided at the time that it would be called "More Brazil" (Portuguese: Mais Brasil) and would use the number 25 in elections.

Name issues

Originally, "More Brazil" was the name chosen for the registration of the party. However, in 2022, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) rejected the request of the Brazilian Woman's Party to be renamed "Brazil Party" (Portuguese: Partido Brasil) or "For More Brazil" (Portuguese: Por Mais Brasil), on the grounds that these names did not distinguish its ideological orientation and could create confusion among voters with the Brazilian state itself.[6] Hence, as a preventive measure against a potential rejection of the name "More Brazil", in 2023 the party adopted the alternative name "Democratic Renewal Party".[7]

On 9 November 2023, the TSE registered the party, recognizing the second name.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Estatísticas do eleitorado – Eleitores filiados". Tribunal Superior Eleitoral. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Doria, Vinicius (26 October 2022). "PTB e Patriota anunciam fusão e batizam novo partido de 'Mais Brasil'". Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  3. ^ National Congress (4 October 2017). Emenda Constitucional (No. 97). Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Plenário do TSE aprova incorporação do PRP ao Patriota". Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (in Portuguese). 28 March 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  5. ^ Rodrigues, Larissa; Moreira, Rudá (26 October 2022). "PTB e Patriota aprovam fusão e criam Mais Brasil; Jefferson não fará parte". CNN Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  6. ^ "TSE mantém rejeição à mudança de nome do Partido da Mulher Brasileira (PMB)". Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (in Portuguese). 11 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Nota de esclarecimento | Fusão Patriota/PTB". Patriota SP (in Portuguese). 13 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  8. ^ "TSE aprova criação do Partido Renovação Democrática (PRD)". Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (in Portuguese). 9 November 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.