The article verifies in what measure Brazilian parties have been important political tools for the formation of voting preferences. The data from ESEB2002 and ESEB2006 allow to analyse how voters evaluate parties as organizations, the links between parties and voters, and the role of socioeconomic and demographic variables in the explanation of the impact of parties in the formation of political preferences. The results show the negative evaluation of the parties in 2002 and 2006, and that in 2006 the political cleavage between government and opposition did not distinguish parties in the electoral process.
Political parties; electoral preference; party evaluation; representation
