The aim of this paper is to empirically evaluate the electoral competition in the Brazilian election for Congress. The evaluation focused on the regional dimension of electoral competition, what is sustained by concepts such as informal electoral districts (AMES, 2001; 2003) or political hamlets (HUNTER AND POWER, 2007; ZUCCO, 2008). This paper considers electoral results from 1994 to 2010 and uses the imbalance index (TAAGEPERA, 1979) in a timing frame perspective as basic criteria because the Effective Number of Parties does not capture the decentralization of electoral competition. Results suggests that the personal and regional political control is not the rule of political competition in Brazil; the informal district theory lacks of empirical support and, the politicians that are successful in avoiding competition do not always get elected and vary in their power over electorate through time.
electoral competition; congressman; hamlets; Index T
