Parliamentary experience and trajectories of congressmen elected by PSDB and PT in 1994 and 2002: breaking myths

Abstract

The group of congressmen who are elected by PSDB and PT in 1994 and 2002 are analyzed from the social, politic and economic criteria. The study confirms the usual theses according to which PT’s congressmen were more connected to trade union movements, less educated and had more varied occupations. In contrast, this paper reveals that most of PT’s congressmen had more experience in the Chamber of Deputies, contradicting the conception of being outsider. By comparing the two groups of congressmen in elections that they got the Presidency for the first time, and supposing that experience makes difference, we defend the hypothesis that the know-how of PT’s congressmen was important to his role as opposition to Fernando Henrique, in 1994, as well to support Lula da Silva in 2003.

Keywords

• prosopografia
• partido dos trabalhadores
• partido da social democracia brasileira
• câmara dos deputados