1945 Brazilian general election

General elections were held in Brazil on 2 December 1945,[1] the first since the establishment of Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo. The presidential elections were won by Eurico Gaspar Dutra of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), whilst the PSD also won a majority of seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Voter turnout was 83.1% in the presidential election, 83.5% in the Chamber elections and 76.7% in the Senate elections.[2]

1945 Brazilian general election

2 December 1945
Presidential election
Turnout82.13%
 
Candidate Eurico Gaspar Dutra Eduardo Gomes Yedo Fiúza
Party PSD UDN PCB
Popular vote 3,251,507 2,039,341 569,818
Percentage 55.39% 34.74% 9.71%


President before election

José Linhares
Independent

President-elect

Eurico Gaspar Dutra
PSD

Legislative election
PartyLeader % Seats
Chamber of Deputies (286 seats)
PSD Nereu Ramos 42.74 151
UDN Otávio Mangabeira 26.59 81
PTB 10.19 22
PCB Luís Carlos Prestes 8.63 14
PR Arthur Bernardes 3.71 9
PPS Miguel Reale 1.81 4
PDC 1.72 2
PRP Plínio Salgado 1.59 2
PL 0.97 1
Senate (42 seats)
PSD Nereu Ramos 38.03 25
UDN Otávio Mangabeira 24.30 12
PCB Luís Carlos Prestes 9.86 1
PTB 9.76 3
PPS Miguel Reale 1.58 1

Background

Following the end of World War II, Vargas was forced by the military to re-democratize the country. However, the military feared that Vargas would suspend the elections like he had suspended the scheduled 1938 elections in 1937 and staged a preventive coup which prematurely removed Vargas from power on October 29, 1945 and installed a caretaker government led by José Linhares to ensure the free and fair carry-out of the elections.

During this era of liberalization, Vargas founded two parties: the Social Democratic Party (PSD), a centre-right party composed primarily of the national industrial bourgeoisie which had supported Vargas and Vargas' interventors in the states, and the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) composed of the urban working class and trade union movement. The PSD would become the largest party of the two, although Vargas used the PTB as his personal machine. The PSD consistently had the largest number of deputies until the 1964 military coup. The Vargista coalition had nominated Vargas' War Minister Eurico Gaspar Dutra earlier in 1945, but the PTB and Vargas offered Dutra's fledgling candidacy only lukewarm support.

Vargas' traditional opponents had founded the National Democratic Union (UDN) in April 1945. The UDN, a conservative party defending economic liberalism through public incentive to foreign capital, was mostly a party of intellectuals and the urban middle-class, as well as the remnants of the oligarchic interests of the República Velha. It nominated the former tenente and Air Force brigadier Eduardo Gomes, later known for participating in the 1964 coup, as its presidential candidate. Gomes notably advocated repealing a majority of the social legislation and labour reforms passed during the Vargas rule.

The recently legalized Brazilian Communist Party elected 14 deputies, and the party's popular leader, Luís Carlos Prestes was elected to the Senate in Guanabara. Getúlio Vargas, nominated by the PSD and his Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) in various states including Rio Grande do Sul was elected to the Senate representing Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo as well as elected to the Chamber in six states and Rio de Janeiro.[3] He opted to accept the Senate seat he won for the PSD (although he supported the PTB) in Rio Grande do Sul. Former President Artur Bernardes standing for election to the Senate in Minas Gerais for the Republican Party was defeated, placing third with 21.4% of the vote.

Results

President

CandidatePartyVotes%
Eurico Gaspar DutraSocial Democratic Party3,251,50755.39
Eduardo GomesNational Democratic Union2,039,34134.74
Yedo FiúzaBrazilian Communist Party569,8189.71
Rolim TelesNational Agrarian Party10,0010.17
Total5,870,667100.00
Valid votes5,870,66794.68
Invalid/blank votes330,1385.32
Total votes6,200,805100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,549,84982.13
Source: Nohlen

Chamber of Deputies

PartyVotes%Seats
Social Democratic Party2,531,94442.74151
National Democratic Union1,575,37526.5981
Brazilian Labour Party603,50010.1922
Brazilian Communist Party511,3028.6314
Republican Party219,5623.719
Syndicalist Popular Party107,3211.814
Christian Democratic Party101,6361.722
Popular Representation Party94,4471.592
Progressive Renewal Party70,6751.190
Liberator Party57,3410.971
Democratic Republican Party33,6470.570
National Agrarian Party17,8660.300
Total5,924,616100.00286
Valid votes5,924,61696.76
Invalid/blank votes198,2483.24
Total votes6,122,864100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,499,67081.64
Source: Nohlen

Senate

In the Senate elections each voter had two votes.[4]

PartyVotes%Seats
Social Democratic Party4,225,38938.0325
National Democratic Union2,699,49324.3012
Brazilian Communist Party1,095,8349.861
Brazilian Labour Party1,084,5539.763
Republican Party443,6543.990
Syndicalist Popular Party175,4521.581
Progressive Renewal Party60,8200.550
Democratic Republican Party11,1250.100
Liberator Party7,3260.070
Social Progressive Party3,5840.030
National Agrarian Party3,5330.030
Coalitions583,2075.250
Independents716,7156.450
Total11,110,685100.0042
Valid votes5,130,96594.60
Invalid/blank votes293,0975.40
Total votes5,424,062100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,418,93073.11
Source: Nohlen (votes)

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p173 ISBN 978-0-19-928358-3
  2. Nohlen, pp191-232
  3. Bourne, R: Getulio Vargas of Brazil, 1883-1954 Sphinx of the Pampas, page 135. C. Knight, 1974.
  4. Nohlen, p210
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