Authors: Maria Laura Maciel Fernandez and Marcelo Nunes Apolinário.

Abstract:

The present work seeks to emphasize the electoral systems used in Brazil, namely the majority and proportional systems. In a representative democracy, in which the population elects representatives to exercise political power, it is important to have an electoral system that fulfills the interests and demands of society.

It is essential, within this regime, to strengthen the bonds between governors and the governed so that a stable and legitimate government policy can be consolidated. Moreover, it is important to note that the electoral systems adopted by different States exert a strong influence on institutional behavior and, above all, on the political orientation of the established regime.

Thus, this work aims to analyze the intrinsic peculiarities and consequences that the current model imposes on Brazil’s still embryonic democracy. In Brazil, senators and executive positions—president, governors, and mayors—are elected through the majority system. Federal deputies, state deputies, and councilors—legislative positions—are elected through the proportional system.

The study seeks to elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of each system, considering that those established by the 1988 Constitution are, in certain respects, outdated. In the current political scenario, the presence of corporatism, personalism in proportional elections, clientelism, partisan “caciques,” economic inequality, and party fragmentation, among other issues, is evident.

The work also seeks to demonstrate how these systems can be improved to better fit the country’s current political and social context. The research, of a qualitative nature, is based on bibliographic and documentary sources. Bibliographic research provides the necessary support for understanding concepts, theories, and the functioning of political institutions, while documentary research focuses on the study of legislation and jurisprudence related to the proposed theme.

In addition, the study analyzes proposals for Political Reform in the country. Among the suggested possibilities are changes to the proportional system for legislative positions or modifications to the type of list currently used, which is open. Although these systems were implemented with the aim of increasing societal participation in government, it is observed that representatives, often influenced by power, use them for their own benefit.

Thus, the need for Political Reform in electoral systems becomes increasingly evident. The process of democratic consolidation remains fragile, and democracy in Brazil is still far from ideal in terms of representativeness.

Therefore, Political Reform stands as one of the possible solutions—not only to identify better alternatives but also to assess the potential consequences these changes may generate in Brazilian politics and society.

Finally, four conditions are essential to prevent democracy from deteriorating: periodic, free, competitive, and non-manipulated elections. When combined with well-functioning electoral systems, these requirements can contribute to the consolidation of a more robust representative democracy that goes beyond the act of voting.