2002 Brazilian general election

General elections were held in Brazil on 6 October 2002, with a second round of the presidential election on 27 October. The elections were held in the midst of an economic crisis that began in the second term of the incumbent president, Fernando Henrique Cardoso of the centre-right Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). Due to constitutional term limits, Cardoso was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term.

2002 Brazilian general election

Presidential election
6 October 2002 (first round)
27 October 2002 (second round)
Turnout82.26% (first round)
79.53% (second round)
 
Candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva José Serra
Party PT PSDB
Alliance Lula President Great Alliance
Running mate José Alencar Rita Camata
Popular vote 52,793,364 33,370,739
Percentage 61.27% 38.73%

Presidential election results

President before election

Fernando Henrique Cardoso
PSDB

Elected President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
PT

Chamber of Deputies
6 October 2002

All 513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
257 seats needed for a majority
PartyLeader % Seats +/–
PT José Genoíno 18.40 91 +33
PSDB José Aníbal 14.26 70 -29
PFL Jorge Bornhausen 13.38 84 -21
PMDB 13.37 76 -7
PPB 7.81 48 -12
PSB Anthony Garotinho 5.28 22 +3
PDT 5.12 21 -4
PTB Roberto Jefferson 4.63 26 -5
PL Valdemar Costa Neto 4.32 26 +14
PPS 3.07 15 +12
PCdoB 2.25 12 +5
PRONA Enéas Carneiro 2.06 6 +5
PV 1.35 5 +5
PSC 0.58 1 -2
PST 0.58 3 +2
PSD 0.52 4 +1
PSL Luciano Bivar 0.47 1 +1
PMN 0.32 1 -1
PSDC 0.22 1 +1
6 October 2002

54 of the 81 seats in the Senate
PartyLeader % Seats +/–
PT José Genoíno 22.03 14 +7
PFL Jorge Bornhausen 18.49 19 -1
PMDB 16.40 19 -7
PSDB José Aníbal 13.90 11 -5
PDT 5.16 5 +1
PPB 4.49 1 -2
PTB Roberto Jefferson 3.38 3 +2
PL Valdemar Costa Neto 3.16 3 +3
PPS 3.07 1 0
PSB 2.21 4 +1
PSD 0.75 1 +1

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT), a former labor leader and federal deputy for São Paulo, ran for president for a fourth time. Lula had previously lost in the 1989, 1994, and 1998 presidential elections, being defeated by Cardoso in the latter two. Lula somewhat moderated his political approach in the 2002 presidential campaign, writing a document now known as the Letter to the Brazilian People to ease fears that he would transition Brazil into a full-fledged socialist economy.[1] Staying true to this turn to the center, Lula chose José Alencar, a millionaire textile businessman and Senator from Minas Gerais associated with the centre-right Liberal Party (PL), as his running mate.[2]

Following a tense intra-party battle over who would run to succeed Cardoso on the PSDB ticket, former Minister of Health José Serra was ultimately selected by the party to be its standard bearer for President in 2002.[3] Rita Camata, a federal deputy for Espírito Santo and member of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), was chosen as his running mate. In the beginning of the election cycle, Governor of Maranhão Roseana Sarney (PFL) looked to be the most viable centre-right candidate.[4] However, a corruption scandal forced Sarney out of the race, allowing the PSDB to remain the paramount centre-right force in the 2002 cycle.[5]

The election took place in the aftermath of an economic crisis that hit Brazil during Cardoso's second term.[6] Lula's pivot to the centre worked, picking up the support of key centrist and centre-right politicians such as former President José Sarney in the process.[7] In the first round, Lula would lead Serra by a wide margin, only failing to prevent a runoff because of votes that went to other left-wing candidates. In the second round, Lula would defeat Serra by a landslide, winning every state except for Alagoas.[8] In 2003, Lula took office as President of Brazil, becoming the first leftist elected to the office following the fall of the military dictatorship in Brazil.

Background

During the second term of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration, a serious economic crisis began in Brazil as an impact of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.[9] Commencing shortly after the 1998 elections, when Cardoso was re-elected, as a currency crisis, it resulted in a decrease in growth and employment rates and a rise in public debt.

In an environment of distrust and uncertainty for investment, many investors feared the measures that were going to be taken if a left-wing candidate won the election. As a matter of fact, when Workers' Party candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) would rise in the polls, the so-called "Brazil risk" index, which measures the confidence of investors in the country, would also rise.

The media called this the "Lula risk", indicating that if Lula was to win the election, the economy would fail. Lula was then forced to sign a text that became known as Carta aos Brasileiros (Letter to the Brazilian people), promising that if he won the election, he would not change the economic policy of Brazil. Many in the left-wing saw this as a shift to the center from Lula and his Workers' Party, which openly defended a transition to socialist economy in the 1989 presidential election.

Brazilian Social Democratic Party presidential candidate selection

With incumbent President Fernando Henrique Cardoso ineligible to run for a third consecutive term due to term limits, the dominant centre-right PSDB was forced to find a new candidate for the 2002 election. Given that Cardoso was elected with the help of a broad centre-right coalition, there existed fear among PSDB officials that another candidate would be unable to maintain his coalition.[10]

José Serra, who had served as Minister of Health under Cardoso, was eventually chosen as the party's nominee. Outgoing President Cardoso was initially favorable to the prospect of Governor of Ceará Tasso Jereissati serving as the PSDB's presidential nominee in 2002.[11] According to a report by The Economist, Jereissati enjoyed broader support among the PSDB's coalition partners than Serra, whose performance on the campaign trail was considered lackluster.[12] Additionally, some PSDB insiders and political scientists feared that Serra would perform poorly in the northeast, and believed that Jereissati would do better in the region owing to being from Ceará.[13]

In addition to Serra and Jereissati, who were the subject of most speculation, other potential PSDB candidates were speculated on, including members of the Cardoso administration. Economist and education official Paulo Renato Souza, who served as Cardoso's Minister of Education, was occasionally mentioned as a potential PSDB candidate, though he declined to run.[14] Pedro Malan, an economist who served as Minister of Finance under Cardoso, was also the subject of some 2002 speculation, though he similarly chose not to contest the election for the PSDB.[15]

Both Governor of São Paulo Geraldo Alckmin[16] and President of the Chamber of Deputies Aécio Neves[17] were also the subject of some media speculation, though neither entered the race; Alckmin would later represent the PSDB in the 2006 and 2018 presidential elections, while Neves would be the party's presidential candidate in 2014.

Workers' Party presidential candidate selection

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, was a fixture of the Brazilian Left going into the 2002 election. Well-known for his role in the 1980 steelworkers' strike, the former labor leader and federal deputy for São Paulo served as the PT's presidential candidate in 1989, 1994, and 1998. Nevertheless, Lula faced some opposition within his own party, who felt that he shouldn't lead the party after losing the past three presidential elections. Senator Eduardo Suplicy of São Paulo contested the nomination for as the candidacy of the PT.[18][19][20] Suplicy was well-known for being an early supporter of a universal basic income,[21][22] and party leadership encouraged his participation in the party's preliminary election to mobilize and unite the party's base.[23] Suplicy would lose to Lula with just over 15% of the preliminary vote.[24] During the campaign, Suplicy accused party leadership of favoring Lula, publicly demanding that pro-Lula party president José Dirceu be impartial in the election.[25] Former Governor of the Federal District Cristovam Buarque was named as a possible centrist challenger to Lula in the PT preliminary election.[26][27] Buarque, who had supported Democratic Labour Party (PDT) candidate Leonel Brizola rather than Lula in the 1989 presidential election,[28] was known for his independence from party leadership. A member of the party's moderate wing, he was an early supporter of PT moving to the political centre, advocating for privatization of some state industries.[29] Buarque ended up not running for President, and would join Lula's administration as Minister of Education in 2003[30] before leaving the party altogether.

On the other hand, some members of the party's left-wing who felt Lula that was too moderate urged Mayor of Belém Edmilson Rodrigues to contest the party' nomination.[31][32] Edmilson did not end up running for the party's nomination, and would later leave the party to join the left-wing Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL).[33]

Presidential candidates

Candidates in the runoff

Party Candidate Most relevant political office or occupation Party Running mate Coalition Electoral number
Workers' Party

Workers' Party (PT)

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Member of the Chamber of Deputies from São Paulo
(1987–1991)
Liberal Party

Liberal Party (PL)

José Alencar
José Alencar
Lula President[lower-alpha 1] 13
Brazilian Social Democracy Party

Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB)

José Serra
José Serra
Minister of Health of Brazil
(1998–2002)
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB)

Rita Camata
Rita Camata
Great Alliance[lower-alpha 2] 45

Candidates failing to make the runoff

Party Candidate Most relevant political office or occupation Party Running mate Coalition Electoral number
United Socialist Workers' Party

United Socialist Workers' Party (PSTU)

José Maria de Almeida
José Maria de Almeida
PSTU National President
(since 1993)
United Socialist Workers' Party

United Socialist Workers' Party (PSTU)

Dayse Oliveira
Dayse Oliveira
16
Popular Socialist Party

Popular Socialist Party (PPS)

Ciro Gomes
Ciro Gomes
Governor of Ceará
(1991–1994)
Democratic Labour Party

Democratic Labour Party (PDT)

Paulo Pereira da Silva
Paulo Pereira da Silva
Labour Front 23
Workers' Cause Party

Workers' Cause Party (PCO)

Rui Costa Pimenta
Rui Costa Pimenta
PCO National President
(since 1995)
Workers' Cause Party

Workers' Cause Party (PCO)

Pedro Paulo de Abreu 29

Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB)

Anthony Garotinho
Anthony Garotinho
Governor of Rio de Janeiro
(1999–2002)

Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB)

José Antonio Almeida Brazil Hope Front 40

Results

President

CandidateRunning matePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaJosé Alencar (PL)Workers' Party39,455,23346.4452,793,36461.27
José SerraRita Camata (PMDB)Brazilian Social Democratic Party19,705,44523.2033,370,73938.73
Anthony GarotinhoJosé Antônio FigueiredoBrazilian Socialist Party15,180,09717.87
Ciro GomesPaulo Pereira da Silva (PDT)Popular Socialist Party10,170,88211.97
José Maria de AlmeidaDayse OliveiraUnited Socialist Workers' Party402,2360.47
Rui Costa PimentaPedro Paulo de AbreuWorkers' Cause Party38,6190.05
Total84,952,512100.0086,164,103100.00
Valid votes84,952,51289.6186,164,10394.00
Invalid votes6,976,6857.363,772,1384.12
Blank votes2,873,7533.031,727,7601.88
Total votes94,802,950100.0091,664,001100.00
Registered voters/turnout115,253,81682.26115,253,81679.53
Source: Election Resources

Chamber of Deputies

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Workers' Party16,094,08018.4091+33
Brazilian Social Democracy Party12,473,74314.2670–29
Liberal Front Party11,706,25313.3884–21
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party11,691,52613.3776–7
Brazilian Progressive Party6,828,3757.8148–12
Brazilian Socialist Party4,616,6745.2822+3
Democratic Labour Party4,482,5385.1221–4
Brazilian Labour Party4,052,1114.6326–5
Liberal Party3,780,9304.3226+14
Popular Socialist Party2,682,4873.0715+12
Communist Party of Brazil1,967,8472.2512+5
Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order1,804,6552.066+5
Green Party1,179,3741.355+5
Social Christian Party504,6110.581–2
Social Labour Party504,0440.583+2
Social Democratic Party452,3860.524+1
Social Liberal Party408,5120.4710
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party304,0920.3500
Humanist Party of Solidarity294,9280.3400
Party of National Mobilization282,8780.321–1
Progressive Republican Party251,9710.2900
Workers' General Party194,6860.2200
Christian Social Democratic Party192,5460.221+1
Labour Party of Brazil168,6390.1900
United Socialist Workers' Party159,2510.1800
Party of the Nation's Retirees126,6660.1400
National Labour Party118,4710.1400
Christian Labour Party74,9550.0900
Brazilian Communist Party45,9630.0500
Workers' Cause Party29,3510.0300
Total87,474,543100.005130
Valid votes87,474,54392.31
Invalid votes2,811,9432.97
Blank votes4,476,9064.72
Total votes94,763,392100.00
Registered voters/turnout115,184,17682.27
Source: Election Resources

Senate

PartyVotes%Seats
WonTotal+/–
Workers' Party33,853,15022.031014+7
Liberal Front Party28,408,41518.491419–1
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party25,199,66216.40919–7
Brazilian Social Democracy Party21,360,29113.90811–5
Democratic Labour Party7,932,6245.1645+1
Brazilian Progressive Party6,903,5814.4901–2
Communist Party of Brazil6,199,2374.03000
Brazilian Labour Party5,190,0323.3823+2
Liberal Party4,857,3023.1623+3
Popular Socialist Party4,720,4083.07110
Brazilian Socialist Party3,389,1392.2134+1
Social Democratic Party1,151,9010.7511+1
Social Labour Party1,129,1860.73000
Green Party962,7190.63000
United Socialist Workers' Party490,2510.32000
Party of National Mobilization358,0620.23000
Social Liberal Party295,8070.19000
Social Christian Party293,4630.19000
Workers' Cause Party194,1120.13000
Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order145,0160.09000
National Labour Party107,1220.07000
Workers' General Party103,9730.07000
Brazilian Communist Party95,4890.06000
Progressive Republican Party90,5020.06000
Party of the Nation's Retirees76,7980.05000
Humanist Party of Solidarity76,2740.05000
Christian Social Democratic Party29,7680.02000
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party27,3010.02000
Labour Party of Brazil19,1750.01000
Christian Labour Party3,7840.00000
Total153,664,544100.0054810
Valid votes153,664,54481.08
Invalid votes22,547,41111.90
Blank votes13,316,7097.03
Total votes189,528,664100.00
Registered voters/turnout115,184,176164.54
Source: Election Resources, IPU

Notes

References

  1. "Folha Online - Brasil - Leia íntegra da carta de Lula para acalmar o mercado financeiro - 24/06/2002". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  2. "José Alencar obituary". the Guardian. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  3. "Eleições 2002: uma olhar sobre os presidenciáveis - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  4. "Folha de S.Paulo - Eleições - 2002: Lula e Roseana têm empate técnico em 1º". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  5. "Sarney candidacy in jeopardy". UPI. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  6. "Correio Braziliense". Archived from the original on 2002-10-17. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  7. "Brazil's former President Sarney declares support for Lula". MercoPress. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  8. "Serra visita o único estado no qual venceu Lula em 2002". Blog do Ricardo Mota (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  9. "Correio Braziliense". Archived from the original on 2002-10-17. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  10. "Eleições 2002: uma olhar sobre os presidenciáveis - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  11. "FHC diz que Tasso é o mais viável para 2002 no momento - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  12. "Que sera, Serra". The Economist. 2002-08-15. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  13. "Com economia ruim, Malan seria opção do PSDB em 2002, diz analista - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  14. "Paulo Renato nega candidatura à Presidência da República - Diário do Grande ABC - Notícias e informações do Grande ABC: política". Jornal Diário do Grande ABC (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  15. "Com economia ruim, Malan seria opção do PSDB em 2002, diz analista - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  16. "Eleições 2002: uma olhar sobre os presidenciáveis - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  17. "Aécio diz que não será candidato em 2002 - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  18. "Folha de S.Paulo - Rumo a 2002: Sou candidato a presidente, diz Suplicy - 09/11/2000". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  19. "Suplicy treina para prévias do PT – Correio do Brasil" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  20. Amaral, Oswaldo E. Do; Power, Timothy J. (February 2016). "The PT at 35: Revisiting Scholarly Interpretations of the Brazilian Workers' Party". Journal of Latin American Studies. 48 (1): 147–171. doi:10.1017/S0022216X15001200. ISSN 0022-216X.
  21. "PLS 266/2001 - Senado Federal". www25.senado.leg.br. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  22. Matthews, Dylan (2019-10-30). "More than 50,000 people are set to get a basic income in a Brazilian city". Vox. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  23. "Folha de S.Paulo - Rumo a 2002: PT aposta em prévias para reforçar candidatura Lula - 07/01/2001". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  24. "UOL Últimas Notícias - Lula vence prévia com folga e campanha do PT deve ganha fôlego 20/03/2002 - 18h10". noticias.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  25. "PT pode incluir mais um em prévia para 2002 - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  26. "Folha de S.Paulo - Rumo a 2002: PT aposta em prévias para reforçar candidatura Lula - 07/01/2001". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  27. "Who's afraid of Lula?". The Economist. 2002-05-16. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  28. "Cristovam Buarque declara que votou em Brizola em 89". Carta Maior (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  29. "POLITICS-BRAZIL: Workers Party Wrestles with Ideology". Inter Press Service. 1999-11-23. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  30. "Folha Online - Brasil - Leia íntegra do discurso de Cristovam Buarque, ministro da Educação - 03/01/2003". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  31. "PT pode incluir mais um em prévia para 2002 - Política". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  32. Londrina, Folha de. "Lula faz pressão para fugir das prévias do PT". Folha de Londrina (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  33. "Edmilson Rodrigues vence Eguchi e Psol comandará Belém". Poder360 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
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