The dispute among state governments (1994–2014): the battle between incumbents and opposition

Abstract

The game between government and opposition is something that has always been widely discussed in political science. Recent studies indicate that party systems may have a strong pro-government bias, weakening opposition parties. How to limit the power of executive leaders is a key question in Brazil, as suggested by the recent ban on immediate re-election enacted by the Chamber of Deputies. In this paper, we propose a debate about the relative power of incumbent governors and challengers in state government elections. All elections since 1994 were analyzed using TSE data from all Brazilian states. The results indicate that re-election does not impose an insurmountable barrier to those who challenge the governor. At the same time, the data suggest a relative continuity of political parties at the state level. Moreover, the idea that the Executive branch has a great ability to appeal to political parties cannot be disregarded.

elections; state elections; re-election; opposition; state government