# List of political parties in Brazil

Brazil has a multi-party system since 1979, when the country's military dictatorship disbanded an enforced two-party system and allowed the creation of multiple parties.
Above the broad range of political parties in Brazilian Congress, the Workers' Party (PT), the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), the Liberal Party (PL), the Progressives (PP) and the Brazil Union (UNIÃO) together control the absolute majority of seats in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Smaller parties often make alliances with at least one of these five major parties. The number of political parties reached the apex of 35 on 2018, 30 of which were represented in congress after the 2018 general election. However, an electoral threshold introduced on 2017 has resulted in the culling and merger of many parties, as it cuts access to party subsidies and free party political broadcasts.
Brazilian parties have access to party subsidies in form of the Fundo Partidário (lit. 'Party Fund') and the Fundo Eleitoral (lit. 'Electoral Fund') for elections. And a system of free party political broadcasts during election time known as the horário eleitoral gratuito.
Since 1982, Brazilian political parties have been given an electoral number to make it 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, two-digit numbers were 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). Political parties often change their names, but they can retain their number.
In terms of association, parties can form electoral coalitions and party federations. Since 2017, coalitions are only allowed in elections under the majority system. Therefore, political parties can unite in support for a presidential or senatorial candidate, for example. However, parties cannot form coalitions for the election of federal deputies, state deputies and councillors. Coalitions are formed before the elections and do not oblige parties to remain together afterwards. Party federations, on the other hand, are legally different from coalitions in that they are longer-lasting, have a national scope and require ideological unity. Unlike coalitions, the parties that make up a federation are treated as a single party in legislative activity and in elections; they are prohibited from acting independently in the legislative houses or from filing election-related lawsuits, as the federation has the sole legal standing to do so.

## Active parties
### Parties represented in the National Congress

| Party | Party | Ideology | Political position | Leader(s) | Chamber | Senate | Assemblies | Federation |
| Liberal Party Partido Liberal | PL | Conservatism Bolsonarism | Right-wing to far-right | Valdemar Costa Neto, Jair Bolsonaro | 92 / 513 | 14 / 81 | 128 / 1,059 | — |
| Workers' Party Partido dos Trabalhadores | PT | Social democracy Lulism | Centre-left | Gleisi Hoffmann, Lula da Silva | 68 / 513 | 9 / 81 | 118 / 1,059 | Brazil of Hope |
| Brazil Union União Brasil | União | Catch-all Liberal conservatism | Centre-right to right-wing | Antônio de Rueda (acting) | 59 / 513 | 7 / 81 | 99 / 1,059 | — |
| Progressives Progressistas | PP | Catch-all Liberal conservatism | Centre-right to right-wing | Ciro Nogueira | 50 / 513 | 7 / 81 | 86 / 1,059 | — |
| Social Democratic Party Partido Social Democrático | PSD | Catch-all Political opportunism | Catch-all Political opportunism | Gilberto Kassab | 45 / 513 | 15 / 81 | 79 / 1,059 | — |
| Brazilian Democratic Movement Movimento Democrático Brasileiro | MDB | Catch-all Political opportunism | Catch-all Political opportunism | Baleia Rossi | 44 / 513 | 10 / 81 | 94 / 1,059 | — |
| Republicans Republicanos | Republicans Republicanos | Conservatism Christian right | Right-wing | Marcos Pereira | 44 / 513 | 4 / 81 | 76 / 1,059 | — |
| Democratic Labour Party Partido Democrático Trabalhista | PDT | Labourism Left-wing nationalism | Centre-left to left-wing | André Figueiredo (acting) | 18 / 513 | 3 / 81 | 44 / 1,059 | — |
| We Can Podemos | Pode | Liberal conservatism Direct democracy | Centre-right | Renata Abreu | 14 / 513 | 6 / 81 | 48 / 1,059 | — |
| Brazilian Socialist Party Partido Socialista Brasileiro | PSB | Social democracy Social liberalism | Centre-left | Carlos Siqueira | 14 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 54 / 1,059 | — |
| Socialism and Liberty Party Partido Socialismo e Liberdade | PSOL | Democratic socialism Eco-socialism Progressivism | Left-wing to far-left | Paula Coradi | 13 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 22 / 1,059 | PSOL-Rede |
| Brazilian Social Democracy Party Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira | PSDB | Liberalism Third Way | Centre-right | Marconi Perillo | 12 / 513 | 1 / 81 | 55 / 1,059 | PSDB-Citizenship |
| Communist Party of Brazil Partido Comunista do Brasil | PCdoB | Socialism | Left-wing | Luciana Santos | 7 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 18 / 1,059 | Brazil of Hope |
| Forward Avante | Forward Avante | Catch-all Political opportunism | Catch-all Political opportunism | Luís Tibé | 7 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 14 / 1,059 | — |
| Solidarity Solidariedade | Solidarity Solidariedade | Catch-all Political opportunism | Catch-all Political opportunism | Paulinho da Força (acting) | 5 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 29 / 1,059 | — |
| Democratic Renewal Party Partido Renovação Democrática | PRD | Conservatism Bolsonarism | Right-wing to far-right | Ovasco Resende | 5 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 25 / 1,059 | — |
| Green Party Partido Verde | PV | Green politics | Centre-left | José Luiz Penna | 5 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 20 / 1,059 | Brazil of Hope |
| Citizenship Cidadania | Citizenship Cidadania | Social liberalism | Centre | Comte Bittencourt | 5 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 19 / 1,059 | PSDB-Citizenship |
| New Party Partido Novo | Novo | Conservative liberalism Right-libertarianism | Right-wing | Eduardo Ribeiro | 4 / 513 | 1 / 81 | 5 / 1,059 | — |
| Sustainability Network Rede Sustentabilidade | REDE | Sustainability Green liberalism | Centre-left | Heloísa Helena, Wesley Diógenes | 1 / 513 | 0 / 81 | 6 / 1,059 | PSOL-Rede |

### Parties without representation in the National Congress

| Party | Party | Ideology | Political position | Leader(s) | Assemblies |
| Brazilian Labour Renewal Party Partido Renovador Trabalhista Brasileiro | PRTB | Right-wing populism Social conservatism | Right-wing to far-right | Leonardo Avalanche, Pablo Marçal | 6 / 1,059 |
| Act Agir | Act Agir | Catch-all | Catch-all | Daniel Tourinho | 5 / 1,059 |
| National Mobilization Mobilização Nacional | Mobiliza | Brazilian nationalism Third-worldism | Centre-right | Antonio Massarollo | 5 / 1,059 |
| Brazilian Woman's Party Partido da Mulher Brasileira | PMB | Conservatism Anti-feminism | Right-wing | Suêd Haidar | 3 / 1,059 |
| Christian Democracy Democracia Cristã | DC | Christian democracy | Centre-right | José Maria Eymael | 1 / 1,059 |
| Workers' Cause Party Partido da Causa Operária | PCO | Trotskyism Anti-americanism | Far-left | Rui Costa Pimenta | — |
| Brazilian Communist Party Partido Comunista Brasileiro | PCB | Marxism-Leninism | Far-left | Edmilson Costa | — |
| United Socialist Workers' Party Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado | PSTU | Trotskyism Morenismo | Far-left | Zé Maria | — |
| Popular Unity Unidade Popular | UP | Revolutionary socialism Anti-capitalism Anti-racism | Far-left | Léo Péricles | — |

## Extinct parties

This list presents the parties of the current Sixth Republic that were once recognized by the Superior Electoral Court, but have ceased to exist. The existence of all these parties has ended by the result of mergers.
* Democrats - DEM (Democratas)
* Party of the Nation's Retirees - PAN (Partido dos Aposentados da Nação)
* Christian Democratic Party (1985) [pt] - PDC (Partido Democrata Cristão)
* Democratic Social Party - PDS (Partido Democrático Social)
* Workers' General Party - PGT (Partido Geral dos Trabalhadores)
* Humanist Party of Solidarity - PHS (Partido Humanista da Solidariedade)
* Liberal Party (1985) - PL (Partido Liberal)
* Free Fatherland Party - PPL (Partido Pátria Livre)
* Progressive Party (1993) - PP (Partido Progressista)
* Reform Progressive Party - PPR (Partido Progressista Reformador)
* Party of Reconstruction of the National Order - PRONA (Partido de Reedificação da Ordem Nacional)
* Republican Party of the Social Order - PROS (Partido Republicano da Ordem Social)
* Progressive Republican Party - PRP (Partido Republicano Progressista)
* Social Christian Party - PSC (Partido Social Cristão)
* Social Democratic Party (1987) - PSD (Partido Social Democrático)
* Social Liberal Party - PSL (Partido Social Liberal)
* Social Labour Party (1983) - PST (Partido Social Trabalhista)
* Brazilian Labour Party (1981) - PTB (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro)
* Renewal Labour Party - PTR (Partido Trabalhista Renovador)
* Patriot (Patriota)

## Historical parties

This list presents the parties that never reached the Sixth Republic. Due to the large number of parties that were dissolved, especially during the First and Second Republics, it is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

### Imperial Brazil (1822–1889)

* Conservative Party (Partido Conservador)
* Liberal Party (Partido Liberal)
* Progressive League (Liga Progressista)

### First and Second Republics (1889–1937)

* Paulista Republican Party - PRP (Partido Republicano Paulista)
* Rio-grandense Republican Party - PRR (Partido Republicano Rio-Grandense)
* Minas Gerais Republican Party - PRM (Partido Republicano Mineiro)
* Fluminense Republican Party - PRF (Partido Republicano Fluminense)
* Federal Republican Party (Partido Republicano Federal)
* Conservative Republican Party - PRC (Partido Republicano Conservador)
* Democratic Party (Partido Democrático)
* Liberating Party - PL (Partido Libertador)
* Brazilian Black Front - FNB (Frente Negra Brasileira)
* Catholic Electoral League (Liga Eleitoral Católica)
* Brazilian Integralist Action - AIB (Ação Integralista Brasileira)

### Fourth Republic (1945–1964)

* National Democratic Union - UDN (União Democrática Nacional)
* Brazilian Labour Party (1945) - PTB (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro)
* Brazilian Socialist Party (1945) [pt] - PSB (Partido Socialista Brasileiro)
* Orienting Labour Party - POT (Partido Orientador Trabalhista)
* Christian Democratic Party (1945) [pt] - PDC (Partido Democrata Cristão)
* Social Democratic Party (1945) - PSD (Partido Social Democrático)
* Republican Party - PR (Partido Republicano)
* Popular Representation Party - PRP (Partido de Representação Popular)
* National Labour Party - PTN (Partido Trabalhista Nacional)
* Social Labour Party (1946) [pt] - PST (Partido Social Trabalhista)
* Social Progressive Party - PSP (Partido Social Progressista)
* Republican Labour Party [pt] - PRT (Partido Republicano Trabalhista)
* Renewal Labour Movement [pt] - MTR (Movimento Trabalhista Renovador)

### Military Dictatorship (1964–1985)

* National Renewal Alliance - ARENA (Aliança Renovadora Nacional)
* Popular Party [pt] - PP (Partido Popular)