National Renewal Alliance Party
The
National Renewal Alliance Party or
Aliança Renovadora Nacional (ARENA) was a conservative
political party that existed in
Brazil between
1965 and
1979. It was the official party of the militaries that ruled Brazil from
1964 to
1985.
Up to
1965, there were three main parties in Brazil: the center-leftist
Brazilian Labour Party (PTB), the center-rightist
Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the rightist
National Democratic Union (UDN). In
1964 the government of President
João Goulart was overthrown by a military
coup d'etat, but in contrast to other
Latin American dictatorships, the Brazilian military-controlled government did not abolish Congress. Instead, in
1965, the government banned all existing political parties and created a two-party system. Most of the politicians from PSD and UDN formed the ARENA, the government party, while most from the PTB and some from the PSD formed the
Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), the opposition.
ARENA was a docile instrument of the militaries to have their legislative proposes approved. Most agree that, at first, the MDB did not have any chance to pass or block any legislation. In the legistative elections of
1966 and
1970, ARENA won a vast majority of the seats, but in the election of
1974, MDB took many more seats than expected and almost gained majority in Congress. The government reacted by passing legislation restricting the power of the opposition, and even succeeded in annulling the mandates of some Congressmen of the MDB.
In
1979, in a maneuver to divide the opposition, the government ended the bipartisan party system, and the ARENA became the
Democratic Social Party (PDS).
