Renewal or perpetuation? Reflections on the dynamics of parties and the future of democracy

In the week of February 17, 2025, the Workers Party () announced that unlimited reelections will be allowed to party leaders and the increase in the limit of mandates for its politicians. This measure, besides being surprising, sheds light on a present reality for decades: the lack of renewal in both the internal leaders of the parties and the electoral scenario itself. Emblematic cases illustrate how certain names are perpetuated in party structures.

José Luiz Penna, for example, renewed his mandate ahead of the Green Party with 61.6% of the votes, in front of the subtitle since 1999 – making him the longest leadership among parties with representation in. Similarly, Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the PL, has been in charge of the party since 2000, while Gilberto Kassab, former mayor of Sao Paulo, founded the PSD in 2011 without ever facing an opposition plate. Marcos Pereira, from Republicans, and Ciro Nogueira, from the PP, also appear among the leaders who have been in control of their subtitles for over a decade.

In addition to these, there are other examples that show this trend: Carlos Lupi, who has presided over the PDT for decades and is currently licensed; Luciano Bivar, who commanded the PSL – and then União Brasil – leaving office only after intense internal problems; José Maria Eymael, ahead of PSDC/DC; and Zé Maria, from the PSTU. Such cases demonstrate how the concentration of power in the hands of historical figures make it difficult to renew and the diversity of ideas.

The situation is not restricted only to party leaders, but extends to the composition of parliaments. According to news from the House of Representatives, in 2022 the renewal was only 39%, that is, most of the reelected deputies continued in office. Similarly, in the Chamber of São Paulo, the renewal of the councilors reached 36.55%, with 35 reelected assuming their mandates.

These numbers show a scenario in which political paintings remain virtually unchanged, which makes new ideas and perspectives difficult. Given this scenario, a central question arises: “How can a democracy advance if the internal processes of parties do not guarantee transparency and effective participation of affiliates?” The concentration of power in the hands of centuries -old leaderships imposes barriers so that new voices emerge, perpetuating old -fashioned practices and hindering the emergence of new figures in politics – either in the local, state or federal levels – that are not linked to great historically consolidated names.

Without mechanisms that stimulate affiliate participation in the choice of leaders, such as open primaries and more transparent internal debates, we risk seeing politics into a space of closed interests and privileges, even giving young people who could bring innovations away and renew the public debate.

The recent announcement of the PT is just another chapter in the long history of leadership perpetuation in Brazil. The data show that even after redemocratization, political renewal remains limited. For Brazilian democracy to advance, it is urgent to rethink the internal processes of parties, promoting greater transparency, effective participation of affiliates and mechanisms that enable the emergence of new figures – independent of traditional centralizing names.

Only with a truly democratic and open party structure can we create conditions for new ideas to flourish and that politics becomes an instrument of social transformation, more faithfully reflecting diversity and the wishes of the population.

*Bruno Massolini He is an economist and a student of International Relations and Mathematics. Associated with Livres in São Paulo.

This publication is a partnership of young Pan with Livres
Livres is a non -profit civil association that brings together liberal activists and academics committed to public policies by expanding freedom of choice

*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the young Pan.