1998 Brazilian general election

1998 Brazilian general election

← 1994 4 October 1998 2002 →
Turnout	78.51%
Presidential election
Candidate Fernando Henrique Cardoso Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Ciro Gomes Party PSDB PT PPS Alliance Union, Work and Progress Union of People Change Brazil Real and Fair Brazil Home state São Paulo[b] São Paulo[c] Ceará[a] Running mate Marco Maciel Leonel Brizola Roberto Freire States carried 23 + DF 2 1 Popular vote 35,922,692 21,470,333 7,424,783 Percentage 53.06% 31.71% 10.97%
Presidential election results map after voting: Blue denotes states won by Cardoso Red denotes states won by Lula Orange denotes the state won by Gomes
President before election Fernando Henrique Cardoso PSDB Elected President Fernando Henrique Cardoso PSDB
Legislative election
513 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 27 seats in the Senate
Party Leader % Seats ± Chamber of Deputies PSDB Teotônio Vilela Filho 17.5 99 +37 PFL Jorge Bornhausen 17.3 105 +16 PMDB Orestes Quércia 15.2 83 -24 PT José Dirceu 13.2 58 +9 PPB 11.3 60 New PDT Leonel Brizola 5.7 25 -9 PTB Ricardo Ribeiro 5.7 31 0 PSB 3.4 19 +4 PL Alvaro Valle 2.5 12 -1 PPS 1.3 3 +1 PCdoB 1.3 7 -3 PRONA Enéas Carneiro 0.9 1 +1 PSD 0.8 3 New PSC 0.7 3 0 PMN 0.5 2 -2 PST 1 New PSL 1 New Senate PMDB Orestes Quércia 21.7 26 +10 PT José Dirceu 18.4 7 +6 PPB 15.0 3 +1 PFL Jorge Bornhausen 11.4 20 +5 PSDB Teotônio Vilela Filho 10.3 16 +4 PSB 6.4 3 +1 PDT Leonel Brizola 5.2 4 0 PTB Ricardo Ribeiro 4.0 1 0 PPS 3.0 1 0 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

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The 1998 Brazilian presidential election was held in 1998 with two rounds of balloting in conjunction with elections to the National Congress and state governorships. If no candidate in the presidential election received more than 50% of the vote in the first round on 4 October 1998, a second-round runoff would have been held on 25 October 1998. The election was marked by the use of voting machines for the first time in Brazilian history.

Elected in 1994 amidst a hyperinflation crisis, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of the centre-right Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) prioritized price stability policies during his term.^[1] Other notable policies pursued by Cardoso included the declaration of Decree 1775,^[2] which allowed for increased commercial interest in indigenous lands, and the privatization of publicly-owned companies.^[3] Vice President Marco Maciel of the conservative Liberal Front Party (PFL) served as Cardoso's running mate, as he did in the previous election.^[4]

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT), a former labor leader and federal deputy, ran for the presidency for a third time.^[5] Lula had previously run for the presidency in both 1989, where he lost to Fernando Collor, and 1994, where he lost to Cardoso. Lula chose Leonel Brizola of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT), a longtime fixture of the Brazilian Left who was a chief competitor of his in 1989, as his running mate.

In addition to Lula, Ciro Gomes, a populist who previously served as Governor of Ceará and as Minister of Finance in the conservative government of President Itamar Franco, mounted his own campaign.^[6] Running as a member of the centre-left Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Ciro attempted to present himself as a progressive alternative to Lula.

Cardoso won reelection with an absolute majority in the first round, negating the need for a second round. In doing so, he became the first President of Brazil to be reelected since the fall of the military dictatorship. Lula would later succeed him after winning the 2002 presidential election, and Ciro would mount a second presidential bid twenty years later in the 2018 election, where he also came in third place.

Background[]

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, better known as "FHC", had been inaugurated as president on January 1, 1995, after defeating Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his main rival in the 1994 election, in the first round by an advantage of almost 30 million votes.^[1] FHC had based his first presidential campaign in the then newly launched Real Plan and the promise of stabilizing the economy of Brazil. As a matter of fact, the plan had a positive effect during the first years of his administration, being able to curb the exorbitant inflation rates, stabilize the exchange rate, and increase the purchasing power of the Brazilian population without shocks or price freezing.^[1]

On the very first day of his administration, the Treaty of Asunción came into force.^[1] Signed by Fernando Collor de Mello, it predicted the implementation of Mercosur, a free trade area between Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.^[1] Moreover, the first FHC administration was marked by political and economic reforms, such as the end of the state monopolies in oil and telecommunications, the reform on the social security plans, and the change in the concept of "national company".^[1]

Although approved in the Congress, the reforms carried by the federal government met strong resistance from the opposition, most notably the Workers' Party, which fiercely criticized the privatization of companies such as Vale do Rio Doce and the constitutional amendment that allowed the re-election of officeholders in the Executive branch.^[1] As a result, Peter Mandelson, a close aide to then British Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Tony Blair, alleged that the Workers' Party's proposals represented "an old-fashioned and out-of-date socialism".^[7] At that time, FHC-Blair relations were magnified, once both of them were adherents of the Third Way.

Despite its political victories, the government needed to impose measures to cool down the domestic demand and help the trade balance, which eventually caused unemployment to grow and made the economy show signs of recession.^[1] Other areas, such as health, education and land reform also suffered major crises.^[1] The violent conflict in the countryside reached its peak with the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre. Thus, FHC's reelection campaign was based on the idea that the continuity of his government was essential for the stabilization to reach areas other than the economy, such as health, agriculture, employment, education, and public security.^[1]

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in 1998.

Presidential election[]

Candidates[]

The 1998 presidential race had twelve candidates, the largest number of candidates since the 1989 election, when over twenty candidacies were launched. The number could have been as high as fifteen, but the Electoral Justice withdrew the candidacy of impeached President Fernando Collor de Mello,^[8] while Oswaldo Souza Oliveira^[9] and João Olivar Farias declined to run.

Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB)[]

The Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) reprised the coalition which had elected Cardoso four years prior, comprising the Liberal Front Party (PFL) and the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB). They were joined by the Progressive Party (PPB), the Social Democratic Party (PDS), and the Social Liberal Party (PSL). Once again, PFL member Marco Maciel served as Cardoso's running mate.

Workers' Party (PT)

The Workers' Party reprised its past two candidacies, by launching former union leader and federal deputy Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as its candidate and forming a coalition with the Communist Party of Brazil, and the Brazilian Socialist Party. Other PT members, such as former Mayor of Porto Alegre Tarso Genro, were mentioned as potential candidates.^[10] Indeed, it was reported in 1997 that Lula was willing to give up his candidacy in favor of backing a bid by Genro, though this did not come to fruition.^[11]

The novelty in this election was the choice of longtime fixture of the Brazilian Left Leonel Brizola, a member of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT), as his running mate. Unlike in 1994, when close Lula ally and fellow PT member Aloízio Mercadante was chosen as Lula's running mate, Brizola had previously been a rival of Lula's, serving as his main opposition on the left in the 1989 election. The PT previously refrained from forming coalitions with parties linked to varguista labour unions to guarantee the Central Única dos Trabalhadores' (CUT) independence. As a result, the United Socialist Workers' Party left the coalition and launched union leader José Maria de Almeida as its candidate.

Brizola was noted for his combative style in contrast to Lula's more "diplomatic" tone on the campaign trail, while led the Folha de S.Paulo to declare that he "outshine[d]" Lula in their first joint appearance.^[10]

Leonel Brizola, a longtime fixture of the Brazilian Left, who served as the running mate of his former rival Lula in the 1998 election.

Socialist People's Party (PPS)[]

Former Governor of Ceará Ciro Gomes run for president, and, therefore, his Socialist People's Party (PPS) did not join the Workers' Party coalition as they did in the previous election. After Oswaldo Souza Oliveira's quit the race, his Party of the Nation's Retirees decided to support Gomes.

Other candidates[]

After securing the third place in the 1994 election, Enéas Carneiro from the far-right Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order (PRONA) also run in 1998. This time, however, he only received 1.4 million votes, against 4.6 million in 1994. Carneiro's running mate was Irapuan Teixeira, a professor who would later become a member of the Chamber of Deputies as a member of PRONA.

This election also brought the second woman candidate ever: Thereza Tinajero Ruiz from the National Labor Party, which replaced Dorival Masci de Abreu.^[12]

#		Party/coalition	Presidential candidate		Political office(s)	Vice-Presidential candidate
	13	"Union of the People Change Brazil" PT, PDT, PSB, PCdoB, PCB		Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT)	Federal Deputy from São Paulo 1987–91; PT National President 1980–88, 1990–94		Leonel Brizola (PDT)
	16	United Socialist Workers' Party (PSTU)		José Maria de Almeida (PSTU)	PSTU National President since 1993		José Galvão de Lima (PSTU)
	19	National Labour Party (PTN)		Thereza Ruiz (PTN)	–		Eduardo Gomes (PTN)
	20	Social Christian Party (PSC)		Sérgio Bueno (PSC)	–		Ronald Azaro (PSC)
	23	"Real and Fair Brazil" PPS, PL, PAN		Ciro Gomes (PPS)	Minister of Finances 1994–95; Governor of Ceará 1991–94; Mayor of Fortaleza 1989–90; State Deputy of Ceará 1983–89		Roberto Freire (PPS)
	27	Social Democratic Christian Party (PSDC)		José Maria Eymael (PSDC)	PSDC National President since 1997; Federal Deputy from São Paulo 1986–95		Josmar Alderete (PSDC)
	31	Party of National Solidarity (PSN)		Vasco Azevedo Neto (PSN)	Federal Deputy from Bahia 1971–89		Alexandre Santos (PSN)
	33	Party of National Mobilization (PMN)		Ivan Frota (PMN)	–		João Ferreira da Silva (PMN)
	43	Green Party (PV)		Alfredo Sirkis (PV)	City Councillor of Rio de Janeiro 1989–96		Carla Piranda Rabello (PV)
	45	"Union, Work and Progress" PSDB, PFL, PPB, PTB, PSD		Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB)	President of Brazil 1995–2003; Minister of Finances 1993–94; Minister of Foreign Affairs 1992–93; Senator for São Paulo 1983–92		Marco Maciel (PFL)
	56	Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order (PRONA)		Enéas Carneiro (PRONA)	PRONA National President 1989–2006		Irapuan Teixeira (PRONA)
	70	Labour Party of Brazil (PTdoB)		João de Deus (PTdoB)	–		Nanci Pilar (PTdoB)

Results[]

President[]

Chamber of Deputies[]

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Brazilian Social Democracy Party	11,684,900	17.5	99	+37
Liberal Front Party	11,526,193	17.3	105	+16
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party	10,105,609	15.2	83	–24
Workers' Party	8,786,499	13.2	58	+9
Brazilian Progressive Party	7,558,601	11.3	60	New
Democratic Labour Party	3,776,541	5.7	25	–9
Brazilian Labour Party	3,768,260	5.7	31	0
Brazilian Socialist Party	2,273,751	3.4	19	–4
Liberal Party	1,643,881	2.5	12	–1
Socialist People's Party	872,348	1.3	3	+1
Communist Party of Brazil	869,270	1.3	7	–3
Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order	592,632	0.9	1	+1
	503,713	0.8	3	0
Social Christian Party	446,256	0.7	3	0
Party of National Mobilization	360,298	0.5	2	–2
Social Labour Party	1,843,296	2.8	1	New
			1	New
Green Party			0	–
Progressive Republican Party			0	–
Labour Party of Brazil			0	–
United Socialist Workers' Party			0	–
National Solidarity Party			0	–
Christian Social Democratic Party			0	–
National Reconstruction Party			0	–
Party of the Nation's Retirees			0	–
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party			0	–
Brazilian Communist Party			0	–
General Party of the Workers			0	–
Workers' Cause Party			0	–
Invalid/blank votes	16,668,707	–	–	–
Total	83,280,755	100	513	0
Registered voters/turnout	106,053,106	78.5	–	–
Source: Nohlen[14]

Senate[]

Party	Votes	%	Seats
			Elected	New total
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party	13,414,074	21.7	10	26
Workers' Party	11,392,662	18.4	6	7
Brazilian Progressive Party	9,246,089	15.0	1	3
Liberal Front Party	7,047,853	11.4	5	20
Brazilian Social Democracy Party	6,366,681	10.3	4	16
Brazilian Socialist Party	3,949,025	6.4	1	3
Democratic Labour Party	3,195,863	5.2	0	4
Brazilian Labour Party	2,449,479	4.0	0	1
Socialist People's Party	1,846,897	3.0	0	1
Communist Party of Brazil	559,218	0.9	0	0
Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order	376,043	0.6	0	0
Social Christian Party	371,873	0.6	0	0
United Socialist Workers' Party	371,618	0.6	0	0
Social Labour Party	213,643	0.3	0	0
Green Party	163,425	0.3	0	0
Party of National Mobilization	144,541	0.2	0	0
Christian Social Democratic Party	114,573	0.2	0	0
National Solidarity Party	110,080	0.2	0	0
National Reconstruction Party	99,077	0.2	0	0
Progressive Republican Party	76,969	0.1	0	0
Liberal Party	71,974	0.1	0	0
Labour Party of Brazil	62,086	0.1	0	0
Party of the Nation's Retirees	43,389	0.1	0	0
National Labor Party	42,042	0.1	0	0
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party	36,328	0.1	0	0
Brazilian Labour Renewal Party	32,258	0.1	0	0
Democratic Social Party	18,647	0.0	0	0
	12,870	0.0	0	0
General Party of the Workers	11,810	0.0	0	0
Workers' Cause Party	274	0.0	0	0
Invalid/blank votes	21,435,568	–	–	–
Total	83,274,223	100	27	81
Registered voters/turnout	106,053,106	78.5	–	–
Source: Nohlen,[15] IPU

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• 1998 Brazilian general election results at the Superior Electoral Court official website