Editing Workers' Party (Brazil) (section)

===Electoral history===
[[File:Eleições PT e PSDB.gif|framed|Presidential elections against [[Brazilian Social Democracy Party|PSDB]] between 1994 and 2014]]

Since 1988, the Workers' Party has grown in popularity on the national stage by winning the elections in many of the largest Brazilian cities, such as [[São Paulo]], [[Fortaleza]], [[Belo Horizonte]], [[Porto Alegre]] and [[Goiânia]] as well as in some important states, such as [[Rio Grande do Sul]], Espírito Santo and the [[Federal District (Brazil)|Federal District]]. During the time it governed [[Porto Alegre]], it implemented measures such as a progressive tax reform, involving the rich being taxed more highly to fund basic services for the poor, and the development of new institutions of genuine popular participation which gave, according to one study, "real decision-making power to civil society and involving a large number of civil organizations – from neighbourhood groups to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and from cultural groups to education, health and housing pressure groups – in running the city."<ref>Introduction to Latin America Twenty-First Century Challenges by Peadar Kirby, P.151</ref>

This winning streak culminated with the victory of its presidential candidate Lula in 2002 who succeeded [[Fernando Henrique Cardoso]] of the [[Brazilian Social Democracy Party]] (''Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira –'' PSDB). For its defense of [[economic liberalism]], PSDB is the party's main electoral rival as well as the [[Democrats (Brazil)|Democrats]], heir of the [[National Renewal Alliance]] (''Aliança Renovadora Nacional –'' ARENA), ruling party during the [[military dictatorship]]. Along with the [[Cidadania|Popular Socialist Party]] (''Partido Popular Socialista –'' PPS), a dissidence of PCB, they have been said to form the centre-right opposition to the Lula administration.

'''1989 presidential elections'''<!--The general elections were a year later, in 1990.-->
{{main|1989 Brazilian presidential election}}
In the 1989 general elections, Lula went to the second round with [[Fernando Collor de Mello]]. Even though all centrist and left-wing candidates of the first round united around Lula's candidacy, Collor's campaign was strongly supported by the mass media (notably [[Rede Globo]] as seen on the documentary ''[[Beyond Citizen Kane]]'') and Lula lost in the second round by a close margin of 5.7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/brazil/101.htm|title=Brazil – The Presidential Election of 1989|publisher=Countrystudies.us|access-date=1 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com.br/scholar?hl=pt-BR&safe=off&q=author:%22Boas%22+intitle:%22Television+and+Neopopulism+in+Latin+America%22+&um=1&ie=UTF-8&oi=scholarr |title=author:"Boas" intitle:"Television and Neopopulism in Latin America" – Google Acadêmico|access-date=1 November 2010}}</ref>

'''1994 and 1998 general elections'''
{{main|1994 Brazilian general election|1998 Brazilian general election}}
Leading up to the 1994 general elections, Lula was the leading presidential candidate in the majority of polls. As a result, centrist and right-wing parties openly united for [[Fernando Henrique Cardoso]]'s candidacy. As Minister of Economy, Cardoso created the [[Plano Real|Real Plan]], which established the [[Brazilian real|new currency]] and subsequently ended inflation and provided economic stability. As a result, Cardoso won the election in the first round with 54% of the votes. However, it has been noted that "the elections were not a complete disaster for PT, which significantly increased its presence in the Congress and elected for the first time two state governors".<ref name="1994 elections">{{cite book|last=Branford|first=Sue|author2=Bernardo Kucinski|title =Brazil: Carnival of the Oppressed|publisher=Latin America Bureau|year=1995|location=London|page=120|isbn=978-0-906156-99-5}}</ref> Cardoso would once again beat Lula in a rematch and re-elected for a second term in 1998.

'''2002 general elections'''
{{main|2002 Brazilian general election}}
After the detrition of PSDB's image and as a result of an economic crisis that burst in the final years of Cardoso's government, Lula won the 2002 presidential election in the second round.

'''2006 general elections'''
{{main|2006 Brazilian general election}}
On 29 October 2006, PT won 83 seats in the [[Chamber of Deputies (Brazil)|Chamber of Deputies]] and 11 seats in the [[Brazilian Senate|Federal Senate]]. Lula was re-elected with more than 60% of the votes, extending his position as [[President of Brazil]] until 1 January 2011.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6095820.stm "Brazil re-elects President Lula"], [[BBC]], 30 October 2006.</ref>

PT was now the second largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, the fourth largest party in the Federal Senate and has five state governorships. However, it only gained control of one among the ten richest states ([[Bahia]]).

'''2010 general elections'''
{{main|2010 Brazilian general election}}
[[File:PT-black-cat-toucan.png|thumb|PT as a black cat chasing a toucan ([[Brazilian Social Democracy Party|PSDB]]'s mascot) by [[Carlos Latuff]]]]
In the 2010 general elections held on 3 October, PT gained control of 17.15% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, a record for the party since 2002. With 88 seats gained, it became the largest party in the lower chamber for the first time ever. PT also became the second largest party in the Federal Senate for the first time after electing of 11 senators, making a total of 14 senators for the 2010–2014 legislature. [[With the Strength of the People|Its national coalition]] gained control of 311 seats in the lower house and 50 seats in the upper house, a broad majority in both houses which the Lula administration never had. This election also saw the decrease in the number of seats controlled by the [[Change Brazil|centre-right opposition bloc]] as it shrank from 133 to 111 deputies. The left-wing opposition, formed by PSOL, retained control of three seats.

The party was also expected to elect its presidential candidate [[Dilma Rousseff]] in the first round. However, she was not able to receive the necessary number of valid votes (over 50%) and a second round in which she scored 56% of the votes took place on 31 October 2010. On 1 January 2011, she was inaugurated and thus became the first female [[head of government]] ever in the [[history of Brazil]] and the first ''de facto'' female [[head of state]] since the death in 1816 of [[Maria I of Portugal|Maria I]], [[List of Portuguese monarchs|Queen of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves]].

In the 2010 elections, PT retained control of the governorships of Bahia, [[Sergipe]] and [[Acre (state)|Acre]], in addition to gaining back control of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal District. Nevertheless, it lost control of [[Pará]]. Candidates supported by the party won the race in [[Amapá]], Ceará, [[Espírito Santo]], Maranhão, [[Mato Grosso]], Pernambuco, [[Piauí]] and [[Rio de Janeiro (state)|Rio de Janeiro]], which means that PT would participate in 13 out of 27 state governorships.

'''2014 general elections'''
{{main|2014 Brazilian general election}}In the 2014 general elections held on 5 October, the party won 13.9% of the vote and 69 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, down from the 88 seats they gained in 2010. In the first round of the presidential election, Rousseff won 41.6% of the vote but not enough to secure a victory.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-09|title=Eleições 2014|url=http://www.eleicoes2014.com.br/|access-date=2021-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909193015/http://www.eleicoes2014.com.br/|archive-date=September 9, 2019}}</ref> In the run-off on 26 October, Rousseff was re-elected with a narrow victory with 51.6% of the vote against Senator [[Aécio Neves]].