Socialism and Liberty Party

The Socialism and Liberty Party (Portuguese: Partido Socialismo e Liberdade IPA: [paʁˈtʃidu sosjɐˈlizmw i libeʁˈdadʒi], PSOL IPA: [peˈsɔw]) is a Brazilian political party with 147,096 active members. PSOL is a left-wing to far-left party which is self-described as socialist and democratic.

Socialism and Liberty Party

Partido Socialismo e Liberdade
AbbreviationPSOL
PresidentJuliano Medeiros
Founded6 June 2004
Split fromWorkers' Party
HeadquartersSDS, Edificio Venâncio V, Loja 28, Brasília
Membership (2020)219,989[1]
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Anti-capitalism
Eco-socialism
Feminism
Socialism of the 21st century
Political positionLeft-wing[2] to far-left[3]
International affiliationDifferent groups in PSOL have different international affiliations.
ColoursRed, Yellow
TSE Identification Number50
Chamber of Deputies
10 / 513
Federal Senate
0 / 81
Governorships
0 / 27
State Assemblies
18 / 1,024
Mayors
5 / 5,570
City Councillors
89 / 56,810
Website
psol50.org.br

The party leader is Juliano Medeiros and the federal deputies Ivan Valente, Marcelo Freixo, Talíria Petrone, Sâmia Bomfim, Áurea Carolina, Edmilson Rodrigues, Fernanda Melchionna, David Miranda, Glauber Braga and Luiza Erundina, with a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Guilherme Boulos, Milton Temer, Michael Löwy, Luciana Genro, Vladimir Safatle, Renato Roseno, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes, Francisco de Oliveira, João Machado, Pedro Ruas and others.

PSOL was formed after Heloísa Helena, Luciana Genro, Babá and João Fontes (also a federal deputy, now a member of the Democratic Labour Party, PDT) were expelled from the Workers' Party after voting against the pension reform proposed by Lula. They opposed the liberal decisions of Lula's government and the Workers' Party alliances with polemic right-wing politicians, such as the former presidents José Sarney and Fernando Collor.

After collecting more than 438,000 signatures, PSOL became Brazil's 29th officially recognized political party, the first to do so by this method.

Ideology and support

The ideology of the party varies between the left and the extreme left. The programmatic elements found in the party are related to socialism, anti-capitalism, and anti-imperialism. There are Marxist, Trotskyist, eco-socialist, and syndicalist tendencies within the party. Among other things, the party program includes the reduction of working hours, agrarian and urban reform, increased spending on health, education and infrastructure, and a break with the International Monetary Fund.[4] It also seeks to decriminalize abortion.[5] Because it is a party formed by trends that possess the political spectrum of the left in common, they represent distinct divisions in question of origin, geographical location and composition of its leaderships. The formation of tendencies provided for in the party statute can be freely organized without direct interference from the party leadership, allowing autonomy of intra-party groups, provided they follow the political prerogatives of the party's statute and program.[4]

Internal tendencies

AbbreviationName in PortugueseName in EnglishIdeologyInternational affiliation
APS-NEAção Popular Socialista - Nova EraSocialist People's Action - New EraDemocratic socialism
C1MColetivo Primeiro de MaioFirst of May CollectiveDemocratic socialism, Left-wing populism
CRZColetivo Rosa ZumbiRosa Zumbi CollectiveSocial democracy
ComunaCommuneMandelist-Trotskyism, Eco-socialism, FeminismFourth International (reunited)
CSTCorrente Socialista dos TrabalhadoresSocialist Workers' CurrentMorenismInternational Workers' Unity – Fourth International
EMEsquerda MarxistaMarxist LeftGrantismInternational Marxist Tendency
Fortalecer o PSOLStrengthen PSOLMarxism–Leninism, Left-wing populism
InsurgênciaInsurgencyMandelism, Socialism of the 21st centuryFourth International (reunited)
LSRLiberdade, Socialismo e RevoluçãoFreedom, Socialism and RevolutionTrotskyismInternational Socialist Alternative
MESMovimento Esquerda SocialistaSocialist Left MovementLeft-wing populism, MorenismCorriente Movimiento
PSPrimavera SocialistaSocialist SpringDemocratic socialism
ResistênciaResistanceTrotskyism
SubvertaSubvertMandelism, Eco-socialism, Socialism of the 21st Century, Buen Vivir[6]Fourth International (reunited)

PSOL also allows certain unregistered political parties to launch candidates through its TSE registry number. These organizations, however, cannot participate in the party's congresses.

AbbreviationName in PortugueseName in EnglishIdeology
BPBrigadas PopularesPeople's BrigadesMarxism–Leninism, Left-wing nationalism, Socialism of the 21st Century, Bolivarianism
MRTMovimento Revolucionário de TrabalhadoresWorkers' Revolutionary MovementTrotskyism
PCRPartido Comunista RevolucionárioRevolutionary Communist PartyMarxism–Leninism, Hoxhaism
PCLCPPolo Comunista Luiz Carlos PrestesLuiz Carlos Prestes Communist PoleMarxism–Leninism, Left-wing nationalism
RAiZRaiz - Movimento CidadanistaRoots - Citizens' MovementEco-socialism, Teko Porã, Ubuntu
RCRefundação ComunistaCommunist RefoundationRevolutionary socialism

Members of the National Congress

Following the 2018 general election, PSOL currently has ten federal deputies in the National Congress of Brazil. Although having a small presence in parliament, PSOL is the 5th most popular party in Brazil,[7] and it is recognized as different from the bigger PSDB and PT parties and the cronyist and catch-all parties without an ideology.

It is the only party present in the Congress which did not receive money from large corporations and the only party that called for the removal of the former President of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha, currently in jail.

Federal Deputies

NameStateInternal tendency
Áurea Carolina Minas Gerais Independent
David Miranda Rio de Janeiro Socialist Left Movement
Edmilson Rodrigues Pará Socialist Spring
Fernanda Melchionna Rio Grande do Sul Socialist Left Movement
Glauber Braga Rio de Janeiro Independent
Ivan Valente São Paulo Socialist Spring
Luiza Erundina São Paulo Raiz - Citizens' Movement
Marcelo Freixo Rio de Janeiro Independent
Sâmia Bomfim São Paulo Socialist Left Movement
Talíria Petrone Rio de Janeiro Subvert

Notes: The military union leader, Corporal Daciolo (RJ), was expelled from the party in 2015.

State Deputies

NameStateInternal tendency
Daniella MonteiroRio de JaneiroInsurgency
Eliomar CoelhoRio de JaneiroIndependent
Flavio SerafiniRio de JaneiroSubvert
Mônica FranciscoRio de JaneiroIndependent
Renata SouzaRio de JaneiroIndependent
Carlos GiannaziSão PauloIndependent
Erica MalunguinhoSão PauloIndependent
Mônica SeixasSão PauloSocialist Left Movement
Isa PennaSão PauloIndependent
Paulo LemosAmapáIndependent
Hilton CoelhoBahiaPopular Socialist Action - New Era
Renato RosenoCearáInsurgency
Fábio FelixFederal DistrictIndependent
Andréia de JesusMinas GeraisPopular Brigades
Marinor BritoParáSocialist Spring
Robeyoncé LimaPernambucoIndependent
Sandro PimentelRio Grande do NorteSocialist Left Movement
Luciana GenroRio Grande do SulSocialist Left Movement

Mayors

NameMunicipalityInternal tendency
Gelsimar GonzagaItaocaraIndependent
Oton CostaJaçanaSocialist Left Movement

Clécio Luís, Mayor of Macapá, left the party to join Sustainability Network.

Elections

2006

PSOL launched Heloísa Helena to run for president in 2006 elections. The vice-presidential candidate was intellectual César Benjamin. The party ran in a left-wing ticket along with two other parties: Trotskyist Unified Workers' Socialist Party (PSTU) and Marxist–Leninist Brazilian Communist Party (PCB).

The alliance was extended to gubernatorial elections. In Minas Gerais, for instance, Vanessa Portugal, from the PSTU, ran for governor with PSOL's support, although not with PCB's. Prominent PSOL gubernatorial candidates were Plínio de Arruda Sampaio in São Paulo, Milton Temer in Rio de Janeiro and Roberto Robaina in Rio Grande do Sul. However, they were all defeated.

Heloísa Helena finished the presidential race in the third place, receiving 6.5 million votes throughout the country (6.85% of the valid votes). Three federal deputies, Luciana Genro, Chico Alencar and Ivan Valente, managed to get re-elected.

2010

In the 2010 candidate for presidential election Plínio de Arruda Sampaio received 888.000 votes (0.87%). Plinio presented an agrarian reform project in 1964 when he was federal deputy, but the 1964 Military Coup ended the project and Plinio lost his mandate. Although he received very few votes Plinio became famous after the elections because he was qualified as an anti-candidate.

PSOL elected three deputies again, Chico Alencar, Ivan Valente and Jean Wyllys.

Toninho do PSOL from Federal District got the best gubernatorial result. He finished in third place with 14.25%.

2012

In 2012 PSOL got its best results so far. Clecio Luis and Gelsimar Gonzaga were elected mayors in Macapá, Amapá's state capital, and Itaocara.

In the northern second largest city Belém and in Rio de Janeiro, PSOL finished second and elected four city councillors – the second largest group in those councils. In Belem Edmilson Rodrigues got 43.39% and in Rio de Janeiro Marcelo Freixo got 28.15%, almost 1 million votes.

Other places like São Paulo, Fortaleza, Campinas, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Salvador, Natal, Florianópolis, Niterói, São Gonçalo and Pelotas, PSOL got respectable results in 2012, 49 city councillors from PSOL were elected.

2014

The former federal deputy Luciana Genro, from Left Socialist Movement, was the candidate in the 2014 Presidential Elections. She got 1,612,186 votes finishing in 4th place. She received the support of important Brazilian intellectuals and popstars like Chico de Oliveira, Rogério Arantes, Vladimir Safatle, Michel Löwy, Gregorio Duvivier, Valesca Popozuda, Zélia Duncan, Karina Buhr, Clara Averbuck, Marina Lima, Juca Kfouri, Preta Gil, Laerte Coutinho, Marcelo Yuka and the international popstar Jessica Sutta. Her candidature was well regarded in the LGBT community.

PSOL elected 5 federal deputies and 12 state deputies. Marcelo Freixo (RJ) received the highest vote for a state deputy in Brazil with 350,408 votes. Carlos Giannazi was the leftist most voted in São Paulo with 164,929 votes.

Governors Tarcísio Motta (RJ) with 8.92% (14.62% in city of Rio Janeiro) and Robério Paulino (RN) with 8.74% (22.45% in capital Natal) got excellent results. Senate candidate Heloísa Helena (AL) got 31.86%, but she lost the election to former Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello, who was impeached.

Electoral results

Presidential

Election year Candidate 1st round 2nd round
# of overall votes % of overall vote # of overall votes % of overall vote
2006 Heloísa Helena 6,575,393 6.9 (#3)
2010 Plínio de Arruda Sampaio 886,816 0.9 (#4)
2014 Luciana Genro 1,612,186 1.6 (#4)
2018 Guilherme Boulos 617,122 0.6 (#10)

Congress

Chamber of Deputies

Election year # of overall votes % of overall vote # of overall seats won +/- Government Notes
2006 1,149,619 1.2
3 / 513
in opposition
2010 1,142,737 1.2
3 / 513
0 in opposition
2014 1,745,470 1.8
5 / 513
2 in opposition
2018 2,783,669 2.8
10 / 513
5 in opposition

Senate

Election year # of overall votes % of overall vote # of overall seats won +/- Notes
2006 351,527 0.4
1 / 81
1 PSOL did not originally gain a seat at the 2006 election. However, after Senator Ana Júlia de Vasconcelos Carepa (PT) resigned, following her election as Governor of Pará State, José Nery de Azevedo (PSOL) took her seat in the Senate as a member of the class of 2006.
2010 3,041,854 1.8
2 / 81
1
2014 1,045,275 1.2
1 / 81
1
2018 5,273,853 3.1
0 / 81
1

References

Preceded by
45 – BSDP (PSDB)
Numbers of Brazilian Official Political Parties
50 – SOLP (PSOL)
Succeeded by
51 – PATRI
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