ASSESSMENTS

Can Brazil Trim the Fat From Its Bloated Political System?

Aug 30, 2017 | 09:00 GMT

In Brazil's legislature, ruling coalitions are fragile and fickle.

Thirty-five political parties are registered in Brazil, and 26 of them are currently represented in Congress.

(EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Congress is tackling a series of proposals designed to gradually change Brazil's unstable political system.
  • Measures that will reduce the number of political parties and create a public fund to finance electoral campaigns will likely take effect next year.
  • Reforms to change Brazil's presidential system to a parliamentary system, however, won't come up for discussion until next year and, if approved, will take effect in 2022.

The number of political parties in Brazil's legislature has long been one of the government's biggest problems. Unstable, unreliable coalitions and corruption scandals have become regular features of the country's political system, thanks in large part to the more than 30 parties registered in Brazil today. Calls for a change in the system have grown louder in recent years, particularly in the wake of the latest corruption probe -- the largest to date -- and the government is starting to work toward reform. But progress will be slow and incremental....

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