👑 Brazil’s political dynasties

Campaign calls for political renewal are a familiar feature of electoral seasons around the world. In Brazil, however, they collide with a longstanding historical counterpoint: political dynasties, or what some scholars describe as political familism. From colonial times to the present day, family ties have been a fundamental entryway to power across every region of Brazil.

Indeed, the influence of kinship extends far beyond electoral politics — reaching into the upper ranks of the Armed Forces, judiciary and many other spheres — and reflects the structural inequalities of a society founded on slavery. Brazil’s elites have so tightly restricted access to financial resources, professional networks and social prestige that they have been able to reproduce concentrated power over decades, and even centuries.

From the 1986 elections, when Brazil emerged from military rule, through the most recent vote in 2022, roughly two-thirds of those elected to the Senate during that period either already had politicians in the family or, once elected, went on to help relatives win office, according to research by social scientist Robson Carvalho. 

Surnames such as Alves (Rio Grande do Norte), Barbalho (Pará), Calheiros (Alagoas), Magalhães (Bahia) and Sarney (Maranhão) exemplify this dynamic, with members of these families holding both legislative and executive posts…

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