Liberal Party (Brazil, 2006)

The Liberal Party (Portuguese: Partido Liberal; abbreviated PL), formerly known as the Party of the Republic (Portuguese: Partido da República; abbreviated PR), is a right-wing to far-right Brazilian political party founded and officially registered in 2006. PL was founded as a merge of the Party of the National Order Reconstruction and the Liberal Party. Currently, it has the largest group of Federal Deputies and also has the second largest group of Senators in the National Congress.

The party is socially conservative and populist, with its base of support coming mainly from Evangelicals, supporters of military intervention (like the one that led to the military dictatorship), and Jair Bolsonaro voters. It supports gun ownership and reduction of the age of criminal responsibility. It opposes abortion, drug decriminalization, and the LGBT+ and feminist movements. Economically, advocates for economic liberalism, privatizations, lower taxes, reduction of the public deficit, pension and labour reform.

While called the Party of the Republic, as a member of the clientelist group of parties called centrão, the party was at the base of Jair Bolsonaro's government, as well as in the past it was at the base of the first two governments of President Lula, and the governments of former Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Michel Temer.

In 2022, the party had 754,316 members, being the eighth biggest Brazilian political party in terms of membership. Since 2023, it is the main opposition to the third Lula government.
 References 

Category:2000s establishments in Brazil
Category:2000s establishments in South America
Category:2006 establishments
Category:Political parties of Brazil
Category:Conservative parties