2006 Brazilian general election
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Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 83.25% (first round) 81.01% (second round) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 October 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 257 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 October 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 of the 81 seats in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. |
This article is part of a series on the |
General elections were held in Brazil on 1 October 2006 to elect the president, National Congress and state governors, with a second round of the presidential election on 29 October as no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round.
Elected by a wide margin in the
The
Though Lula was expected to win in the first round with a large majority, the President unexpectedly received 48.7% to Alckmin's 41.6%, mandating the need for a second round.[11] This was partially attributed to a late breaking scandal in 2006 known as Dossiergate which involved PT leadership, which allowed Alckmin to surge significantly in the weeks prior to the runoff.[12] Nonetheless, Lula won in a landslide in the second round, with Alckmin garnering a lower vote percentage than he did in the first round.[13] In 2007, Lula would take office for the second time as President of Brazil.
In 2022, Lula was elected to a third term with Alckmin (who lost to Lula in this election) as his running mate. They were sworn in as president and vice-president respectively on 1 January 2023.[14]
Background
The 2006 election was held amid a clear reorganization of the political forces of the country. After three failed attempts, Workers' Party candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was eventually elected president. The financial market feared his government would be a threat to the new-found economic stability. Lula, once considered a member of the radical left wing, implemented unorthodox
The Workers' Party was, thus, deemed less
Two former members of the Workers' Party, Cristovam Buarque and Heloísa Helena, launched their candidacies as "alternative left" candidates for the Democratic Labour Party and the Socialism and Liberty Party, respectively. They once discussed the possibility of forming a coalition themselves. Both parties were criticised by the left on the second round for not supporting Lula.
The campaign for void voting reached its peak on the 2006 election, with MTV Brasil (unlike its American branch, which advocates voting initiatives like Rock the Vote among younger audiences) becoming the first TV network to officially support it.
Electoral system
The 2006 elections were the last marked by the now extinct "verticalization rule", that forced parties to ally on the state level with the same parties for which they were allied nationwide. This rule was introduced at the
Workers' Party vice-presidential selection
In 2002, the ability of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, to finally get elected after three previous attempts. The choice of millionaire businessman José Alencar, then a member of the Liberal Party (PL), was partially credited as a reason for his victory. Alencar was widely-known and respected as a self-made man in industrial circles and his choice signaled that Lula was not going to transform the country into a full-fledged socialist economy.[16]
Nevertheless, going into the 2006 presidential election, Lula considered replacing Alencar in favor of a different running mate. Indeed, one report by
PMBD leaders mentioned as possible running mates for Lula include:
Presidential candidates
Candidates in runoff
Party | Candidate | Most relevant political office or occupation | Party | Running mate | Coalition | Electoral number | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workers' Party (PT) |
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
President of Brazil (2003–2011) |
José Alencar |
The Strength of the People[a]
|
13 | |||
Geraldo Alckmin |
Governor of São Paulo (2001–2006) |
Liberal Front Party (PFL) |
José Jorge |
For a Decent Brazil[b]
|
45 |
Candidates failing to make runoff
Party | Candidate | Most relevant political office or occupation | Party | Running mate | Coalition | Electoral number | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic Labour Party (PDT) |
Cristovam Buarque |
Senator for the Federal District (2003–2019) |
Democratic Labour Party (PDT) |
Jefferson Peres |
— | 12 | ||
Social Liberal Party (PSL) |
Luciano Bivar |
Member of the Chamber of Deputies from Pernambuco (1999–2003) |
Social Liberal Party (PSL) |
Américo de Souza | — | 17 | ||
José Maria Eymael |
Member of the Chamber of Deputies from São Paulo (1987–1995) |
José Paulo Neto | — | 27 | ||||
Progressive Republican Party (PRP) | Ana Maria Rangel | Businesswoman and political scientist | Progressive Republican Party (PRP) | Delma Gama e Narcini | — | 44 | ||
Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) |
Heloísa Helena |
Senator for Alagoas (1999–2007) |
Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) |
César Benjamin | Left-Wing Front
|
50 |
Denied candidacy
Party | Candidate | Most relevant political office or occupation | Party | Running mate | Coalition | Electoral number | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workers' Cause Party (PCO) |
Rui Costa Pimenta |
PCO National President (since 1995) |
Workers' Cause Party (PCO) |
Pedro Paulo de Abreu | — | 29 |
Campaign
Starting from the end of 2005, the most discussed issues about the 2006 national elections involved the country's four biggest parties:
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) ran for reelection [1], but he did not confirm his candidacy until June 2006. This was regarded as a cautious move in case something major happened on the political spectrum that could harm his candidacy, especially regarding the 2005 political scandal, still under investigation.
At the end of 2005, several names were regarded in the PSDB as potential candidates for the presidential elections, such as former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, senator Tasso Jereissati, Minas Gerais governor Aécio Neves, São Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin and São Paulo mayor José Serra. By the beginning of 2006, Alckmin and Serra were considered the only two actual potential candidates, and the other three would choose between them (or determine a way by which the choice would be made). Geraldo Alckmin was the chosen candidate, whereas Serra is running for governor of São Paulo.
The PFL was planning the candidacy of
In the PMDB there was division. Some, including party president Michel Temer, wanted the party to have a candidate of its own for the presidential race, and scheduled primaries within the party, with two prospective candidates: former Rio de Janeiro governor Anthony Garotinho and Rio Grande do Sul governor Germano Rigotto. Another section of the party, though, wished to ally with president Lula and appoint the vice-president nominee to run with him. This "governist part" of the party was headed by senators Renan Calheiros and José Sarney. There was also a third possibility of making an alliance with PSDB. The PMDB decided not to take any part in the presidential elections and became free to make any coalition in the states.
Aside from these four parties, the smaller ones had no clear course of action. The PSOL was the first to appoint a candidate, senator Heloisa Helena.
The three main candidates were later joined by Cristóvam Buarque (PDT), Luciano Bivar (PSL), José Maria Eymael (PSDC) and Rui Costa Pimenta (PCO). Ana Maria Rangel (PRP), who also registered her candidacy, was ruled out after internal disagreements with her own party, but was able to revert the situation and regain her right to participate in the presidential race.
The first debate took part on 14 August, featuring Heloisa Helena, Cristóvam Buarque, Luciano Bivar and José Maria Eymael. Lula refused to participate, whereas Rui Costa Pimenta was not invited.
On 15 August, the official electoral programmes started being aired on television and radio. Every weekday, all candidates have a few prime-time minutes to put forward their ideas and plans. The time allocated to each one is loosely based on the number of Congress representatives each coalition has.
Also on 15 August, the Supreme Electoral Court decided to revoke the registration of the PCO candidate, Rui Costa Pimenta. The court ruling was based on the fact that the party had not presented its accounts for the 2002 general elections within the deadline specified by law. Pimenta, however, managed to retain his candidacy: the matter is pending decision.
Polls varied little in the two months prior to the election, showing Lula with over 50% of the valid votes, followed by Alckmin, Heloisa Helena, and Buarque. Nevertheless, the difference between Lula's figures and the sum of his opponents' shortened on the eve of the election.
On 28 September, the PT candidate refused to appear at a debate hosted by
On 1 October the first round ended with no winner. Lula led the field with 48.6 percent of the vote. Although he came just a few thousand votes short of a first-round victory, his vote share was roughly 1% less of the other candidates' combined total. This forced him into a run-off with Alckmin, who placed second.
Run-off
Despite being absent of the first-round debates, Lula faced Alckmin in four debates in the second round, each one of them aired by one of the four most important television channels in Brazil - Band, SBT, Record and two days before the election, on Globo TV.
Since the first debate, Alckmin accused Lula of being lenient with the members of his government who had to resign after being charged in many scandals since 2005. Also he tried to underestimate the achievements the president claimed to obtain during his term, like reducing of poverty and inflation rates, claiming his results were consequence of the favorable international economic scenario and the achievements of his antecessor Fernando Henrique Cardoso, from Alckmin's party.
Lula however claimed that despite his government is under investigation, both Cardoso and Alckmin halted many investigations on their administrations with dubious methods. According to analysts, Lula dealt damage to Alckmin most when he accused him of threatening the
Whether the formula worked or not, the fact is Lula's poll numbers skyrocketed and in the end, he was elected for a second term as president by a 20 million vote margin, while Alckmin got fewer votes than in the first round. Despite this, Alckmin won seven states Lula had carried in 2002-
Debates
2006 Brazilian presidential election debates | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Date and location | Hosts | Moderators | Participants | ||||||
Key: P Present A Absent N Not invited |
PT | PSDB | PDT | PSOL | PSDC
|
PSL | PRP | |||
Lula | Alckmin | Buarque | Helena | Eymael | Bivar | Rangel | ||||
1.1 | Monday, 14 August 2006 São Paulo |
Band TV, BandNews TV, BandNews FM, Rádio Bandeirantes | Ricardo Boechat | A | P | P | P | P | P | N |
1.2 | Thursday, 14 September 2006 São Paulo |
TV Gazeta | Maria Lydia Flândoli | A | P | P | P | N | N | N |
1.3 | Thursday, 28 September 2006 Rio de Janeiro |
TV Globo | William Bonner | A | P | P | P | N | N | N |
2.1 | Sunday, 8 October 2006 São Paulo |
Band TV, BandNews TV, BandNews FM, Rádio Bandeirantes | Ricardo Boechat | P | P | Out | ||||
2.2 | Tuesday, 17 October 2006 São Paulo |
TV Gazeta | Maria Lydia Flândoli | Cancelled | ||||||
2.3 | Thursday, 19 October 2006 Osasco |
SBT | Ana Paula Padrão | P | P | |||||
2.4 | Tuesday, 23 October 2006 São Paulo |
RecordTV
|
Celso Freitas | P | P | |||||
2.5 | Wednesday, 27 October 2006 Rio de Janeiro |
TV Globo, G1 | William Bonner | P | P |
Results
President
Candidate | Running mate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
PFL) | Brazilian Social Democracy Party | 39,968,369 | 41.64 | 37,543,178 | 39.17 | ||
Heloísa Helena | César Benjamin | Socialism and Liberty Party | 6,575,393 | 6.85 | |||
Cristovam Buarque | Jefferson Peres | Democratic Labour Party | 2,538,844 | 2.64 | |||
Ana Maria Rangel | Delma Gama e Narcini | Progressive Republican Party | 126,404 | 0.13 | |||
José Maria Eymael | José Paulo Nelo | Christian Social Democratic Party | 63,294 | 0.07 | |||
Luciano Bivar | Américo de Souza | Social Liberal Party | 62,064 | 0.06 | |||
Total | 95,996,733 | 100.00 | 95,838,220 | 100.00 | |||
Valid votes | 95,996,733 | 91.58 | 95,838,220 | 93.96 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 8,823,726 | 8.42 | 6,160,001 | 6.04 | |||
Total votes | 104,820,459 | 100.00 | 101,998,221 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 125,913,134 | 83.25 | 125,913,134 | 81.01 | |||
Source: Superior Electoral Court[25] |
Voter demographics
Demographic group | Lula | Alckmin | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total vote | 61 | 39 | 100 | |
Gender | ||||
Men | 64 | 36 | 48 | |
Women | 58 | 42 | 52 | |
Age | ||||
16–24 years old | 60 | 40 | 18 | |
25–34 years old | 63 | 37 | 24 | |
35–44 years old | 61 | 39 | 20 | |
45–59 years old | 61 | 39 | 23 | |
60 and older | 61 | 39 | 15 | |
Education | ||||
Less than high school | 67 | 33 | 45 | |
High school diploma | 59 | 41 | 39 | |
Bachelor's degree or more | 47 | 53 | 16 | |
Family income | ||||
Under 2x min wage | 69 | 31 | 44 | |
2-5x min wage | 59 | 41 | 36 | |
5-10x min wage | 49 | 51 | 11 | |
Over 10x min wage | 44 | 56 | 9 | |
Region | ||||
Southeast | 57 | 43 | 45 | |
South | 48 | 52 | 16 | |
Northeast | 76 | 24 | 25 | |
North + Central-West | 61 | 39 | 14 | |
Source: Datafolha |
Chamber of Deputies
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party of National Mobilization | 875,686 | 0.94 | 3 | +2 | |
Christian Labour Party | 806,662 | 0.87 | 4 | +4 | |
Humanist Party of Solidarity | 435,328 | 0.47 | 2 | +2 | |
Christian Social Democratic Party | 354,217 | 0.38 | 0 | –1 | |
Labour Party of Brazil | 311,833 | 0.33 | 1 | +1 | |
Party of the Nation's Retirees | 264,682 | 0.28 | 1 | +1 | |
Brazilian Republican Party | 244,059 | 0.26 | 1 | New | |
Progressive Republican Party | 233,497 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 | |
Social Liberal Party | 190,793 | 0.20 | 0 | –1 | |
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party | 171,908 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 | |
National Labour Party | 149,809 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 | |
United Socialist Workers' Party | 101,307 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 | |
Brazilian Communist Party | 64,766 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | |
Workers' Cause Party | 29,083 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 93,184,830 | 100.00 | 513 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 93,184,830 | 88.93 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 11,593,921 | 11.07 | |||
Total votes | 104,778,751 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 125,827,119 | 83.27 | |||
Source: Election Resources |
Senate
Party | Votes | % | Seats | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Total | +/– | ||||||
Party of National Mobilization | 12,925 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
National Labour Party | 11,063 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Party of the Nation's Retirees | 2,969 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Total | 84,383,805 | 100.00 | 27 | 81 | 0 | |||
Valid votes | 84,383,805 | 80.54 | ||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 20,394,952 | 19.46 | ||||||
Total votes | 104,778,757 | 100.00 | ||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 125,827,119 | 83.27 | ||||||
Source: Election Resources |
Gubernatorial elections
The Governors elected in 2006 were the following:
- Acre – Binho Marques from the Workers' Party
- Brazilian Social Democratic Party
- Amapá – Waldez Góes from the Democratic Labour Party (re-elected)
- Brazilian Democratic Movement Party(re-elected)
- Bahia – Jaques Wagner from the Workers' Party
- Ceará – Cid Gomes from the Brazilian Socialist Party
- Espírito Santo – Paulo Hartung from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (re-elected)
- Liberal Front Party
- Progressive Party
- Maranhão – Jackson Lago from the Democratic Labour Party
- Socialist People's Party(re-elected)
- Mato Grosso do Sul – André Puccinelli from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party
- Minas Gerais – Aécio Neves from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (re-elected)
- Ana Júlia Carepafrom the Workers' Party
- Paraíba – Cássio Cunha Lima from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (re-elected)
- Brazilian Democratic Movement Party(re-elected)
- Pernambuco – Eduardo Campos from the Brazilian Socialist Party
- Piauí – Wellington Dias from the Workers' Party (re-elected)
- Rio de Janeiro – Sérgio Cabral Filho from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party
- Rio Grande do Norte – Wilma de Faria from the Brazilian Socialist Party (re-elected)
- Rio Grande do Sul – Yeda Crusius from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party
- Rondônia – Ivo Cassol from the Socialist People's Party (re-elected)
- Roraima – Ottomar Pinto from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (re-elected)
- Santa Catarina – Luiz Henrique da Silveira from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (re-elected)
- São Paulo – José Serra from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party
- Sergipe – Marcelo Déda from the Workers' Party
- Tocantins – Marcelo Mirandafrom the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party
Notes
- ^ Unofficially supporting parties: Liberal Party (PL) and Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB).
- ^ Unofficially supporting party: Popular Socialist Party (PPS).
References
- ^ "Miséria no Brasil cai 27,7% no 1º mandato de Lula - Economia". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Brazil Mensalao trial: Former chief of staff jailed". BBC News. 2013-11-16. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "IstoÉ online" (in Portuguese). June 22, 2005. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ "Folha Online - Brasil - Popularidade de Lula cai quase dez pontos, diz CNT/Sensus - 13/09/2005". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Lula deve trocar de vice em 2006 e deseja PMDB para ter maioria - 08/11/2005 - UOL Últimas Notícias". noticias.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "DECISÃO SAI APÓS REUNIÃO COM PMDB AMANHÃ". www2.senado.leg.br. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ a b "Brazil election divides nation between rich and poor". vaildaily.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Brazil's Pro-Business Candidate Won't Win Alone, Protege Says". Bloomberg.com. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
- ^ "AVALIAÇÃO DO GOVERNADOR DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - GERALDO ALCKMIN". 2006-11-14. Archived from the original on 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "PSDB lança esboço do programa de governo de Alckmin" (in Portuguese). Terra. Reuters. 11 June 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Election runoff for Lula". the Guardian. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Brazilian Justice Indicts Six Close Aides of Lula for Dossiergate". brazzil. 28 September 2006. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ MacSwan, Angus (2006-10-29). "Brazil's Lula wins second term with landslide". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ Ellsworth, Brian; Paraguassu, Lisandra (31 October 2022). "Lula narrowly defeats Bolsonaro to win Brazil presidency again". Reuters. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Para presidente em 2006, Lula 28,5%, FHC 16,6% - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- ^ "José Alencar obituary". the Guardian. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ "Folha de S.Paulo - Eleições 2006/Presidência: Sem PMDB, Ciro é o mais cotado para ser o vice de Lula - 14/05/2006". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ "BRAZIL: Lula woos PMDB". latinnews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ "Todos querem ser o vice de Lula para 2006 | Brasil, Notícias". Tribuna PR - Paraná Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2005-04-24. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ "Em vídeo, Renan Calheiros declara apoio à pré-candidatura de Lula". Jornal do Comércio (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ Görgen, Frei Sérgio (2004-12-13). "Governo Rigotto e os projetos em disputa". Consciência (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "Crítico a Lula e PT, senador eleito Jarbas Vasconcelos (MDB) declara apoio a Haddad". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ "Resultado da eleição 2006". Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2020.