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Brazil & Southern Cone - April 2011 (ISSN 1741-4431)
POLITICS: The PSDB in crisis
Since the main centrist opposition Partido da Social Democracia
Brasileira (PSDB) suffered its third successive general election defeat to the
leftist Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) in October 2010, it seems to be
imploding. With the defection of a key ally to form a new party, the opposition
in the federal parliament, comprising the PSDB and two other small parties,
Democratas (DEM) and Partido Popular Socialista (PPS), is now in its weakest
position in 16 years, with just 96 deputies in the 513 lower house, or just
18.7% of the seats. Proportionally, the Brazilian opposition is now weaker than
it is in neighbouring countries like Venezuela (where it has 40% of seats) and
Bolivia (32.8%).
