This article proposes an operationalization of the concept of opposition on the positions publically taken by the parties and tests their application in a comparative analysis of the electoral arena in four Brazilian states. The competitive atmosphere of situation versus opposition in the states of Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul is analyzed through a series of empirical indicators in the 2002 and 2006 elections. The analysis reveals large variations in oppositional competitiveness in coalition strategies and in voters' loyalty to their parties, even though the institutional effects did not vary. This kind of results suggests that specific local factors must be mobilized to explain the behavior of opposition parties at the subnational level.
oppositions; electoral competition; electoral arena; parties; subnational sphere
