‘Test drive’ to merge parties, federations anticipate strategies for 2026

One year from the starting of the 2026 election campaign, political parties move to form party federations, which allow you to gather forces either to overcome the election or make larger benches and to survive the barrier clauses. The mechanism acts as a kind of test drive before a fusion and has been triggered as part of the subtitles strategy for next year’s dispute.

União Brasil and the PP, for example, announced at the end of April the formation of a super federation, which is configured as the largest political force of Congress, with 109 deputies and 14 senators.

The group also has the largest number of governors and mayors of the country, but faces internal disagreements between the two subtitles and, in some cases, within the same party. The dispute is mainly for the federation command in the states.

According to the political scientist and professor at Insper Leandro Consenteum the two parties will need to hit the hands in all electoral colleges to launch unique candidacies. “Imagine that there were already people in certain states of União Brasil and progressives with candidates posted. They will not be able to launch two candidates and this makes the lives of many people difficult,” he says.

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Other parties that announced federations were PSD and Solidarity, and PSB and citizenship. MDB and Republicans are in the process of dealing. Already the articulations for the Federation between PSDB and we may not advance so far.

According to Consenne, the federation is a kind of test drive for the parties. “It is an intermediate idea for parties who are not yet sure that they should merge or aim to merge, have a kind of rehearsal there to walk together. So the whole idea is that you walk together both from the point of view of electoral processes and parliamentary life,” he explains.

However, according to the political scientist, if this marriage does not work, it is possible to separate only at the end of the term. “It’s halfway, an essay for a possible merger in the future,” adds the teacher.

The federation is different from the coalition, as the coalition only applies to the electoral period.

Currently, there are only three federations officialized in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE): Brazil of Hope Federation, formed by PT, PC do B and PV; PSDB Federation and Citizenship, which in practice is already undone, although not officially; and PSOL Network Federation.

The others should be registered within 6 months before the election, according to TSE resolution.

According to Consentino, the Federation can strengthen even more parties that already have electoral relevance, such as União and PP, for example. “The biggest advantage is precisely to have a great force, to be better negotiating with the executive, during the election period, to have more strength as well and, after the elections, will be entitled to negotiate more positions if your bench is the largest, will have more TV time, more resources, but at the same time you have the difficulty of coordination, especially in the regional issue, which may be very difficult to reconcile,” analyzes.

On the other hand, for small parties, the formation of federations is a survival strategy for many small, dwarfs to medium, small to medium, to continue to survive in the electoral party framework.

“The party realizes that the warning sign is playing and that the only way to keep up is to make the party bigger. If I do not want to merge directly to avoid this, I make this option for the intermediate path that is the federation,” explains the political scientist.

Consenneus considers that the ideal solution would be for the parties to walk to actually merge. “We don’t need thirty subtitles, but at the same time it ensures that we don’t have a painting of rapid, sugar.”