The article analyses the relations between the Brazilian voter’s ideological identification, his/her "partisan feelings" and the vote, in the 2002 and 2006 presidential elections. The main hypothesis tested, which is based on the two waves of the ESEB (Brazilian Electoral Study) data analysis, is that after President Lula’s first mandate there was a dilution of the ideological differences between the parties in the Brazilian voters view. This dilution would result in a smaller association between ideological identification and the vote in the 2006 presidential election compared to the 2002 election. The article also examines if there were changes in the association between the voters’ "partisan feelings" and their vote.
Brazilian Electoral Study; presidential elections; ideological identification; party preference
