Elections, political parties and ideology in the city of Petrolina (PE) between 1988-2016

o caso de Petrolina (PE)

Abstract

Elections and voting are fundamental pillars of any well-established democracy. Thus, the objective of this article is to contribute to this debate by analyzing how the Petrolina electorate (Pernambuco-Brazil) voted for the executive positions (mayor, governor and president) between 1988 and 2016. The purpose is to understand the voting model of the seventh largest city in the northeastern interior for each position and compare these results in party-ideological terms. The data come from the electoral reports of the Regional Electoral Court and consider the following variables: year of the vote, most voted candidates and their political parties. The analysis indicates that city voters follow a traditional and closed voting model for mayors, regardless of party ideology, and at the state and federal level a more party and left-wing profile. Thus, collaborating to understand the electoral logic in large cities in the interior of Brazil, a field still little explored.