ABSTRACT
In this article, we discuss how Brazilian voters perceive political parties since the redemocratization process. We show, from several opinion surveys from this period, that since the end of the authoritarian regime political parties have not been able to build broad legitimacy as fundamental actors of the democratic regime. We argue that, although part of an international trend, the Brazilian case has historical and institutional elements that make it difficult to build solid party bases and result in a permanent dilemma for democratic consolidation.
KEYWORDS:
Political parties (Brazil); Democracy; Democratic legitimacy