This article aims to analyze the strategies of a political actor in the state of Bahia and in the national scenario, ACM Neto (current mayor of Salvador, Brazil) and his relation with carlista tradition. Carlismo is a term that refers to a group formed in the State of Bahia around the strong leadership of ACM Neto’s grandfather, who for some decades was the most important politician in the state and one of the most influential in Brazil. Based on the theoretical background of the relationship between elites and political institutions in contemporary democracies, this article seeks to identify the political strategies of this political actor between 2002 and 2016, discussing how ACM Neto was related to the carlista group and its tradition. This article analyses the parliamentary performance and the political alliances built during ACM Neto’s mandate as a federal deputy (2002-2012) and the symbolic repertoire mobilized in the campaigns for the proportional elections for federal deputy (2002, 2006, 2010) and for the majoritarian elections for Mayor of Salvador, capital of the State of Bahia (2008, 2012, 2016).
ACM Neto; Carlismo; Political Elites; Institutions