Party affiliation – eligibility requirement
08 de April de 2021
In Brazil, there is a rule (it is there in the Constitution) that says, among several other requirements, a person must be affiliated with a political party in order to run for public office.
And, according to the TSE (Superior Electoral Tribunal) statistics of 2020, only 16.4 million people are affiliated with any political party.
Party affiliation is a bond, a relationship established between the affiliate and the political party. It is the act by which a citizen accepts and adopts the program, ideology and flags of the political party. In addition, the affiliate must respect its rules both within and outside the mandate.
There is a debate about this requirement.
Some people understand that this requirement has to change because there are other rules in Brazil that say the opposite or that in this way, few people can participate in the elections. And that the historical importance of political parties in Brazil and in the world is undeniable, but that the legends need to adopt more democratic practices internally.
On the other hand, there are those who understand that there is no democracy without a political party and that the party would serve as a candidate filter. In addition, it would prevent adventurers from being elected.
There are even processes in which the constitutionality of this requirement is discussed (if the rule really applies) and bills to remove party affiliation as an eligibility requirement and allow independent or separate applications.
What do you think of this requirement? Is there a party that represents you? Do political parties properly screen candidates?