The candidate list game in Rio de Janeiro's municipal elections

Abstract

This article investigates the informal processes of recruitment and selection of candidates for councilor in the city of Rio de Janeiro based on interviews with party leaders and through the complementary analysis of data on coalitions, votes, and campaign financing. Based on a preliminary examination of the electoral system's incentives and local intra-party dynamics, we explore the strategies used by leaders to compose and rank electoral slates, assuming that ideology and the presence of permanent directorates (or provisional commissions) have impacts on the degree of inclusiveness of selectorates and recruitment strategies. In allegorical terms, the candidate list game would represent the informal process of competition and cooperation between political agents during the pre-electoral interregnum with a view to obtaining parliamentary representation.

party recruitment; candidate list; elections; party organization