The barrier clause, a mechanism that restricts political parties’ access to party fund resources and free advertising time on radio and television, could leave at least 20 parties without these benefits in .
The system works like a ladder that gains new steps every four years. In 2018, parties needed to elect at least nine federal deputies. In 2022, this number rose to 11, and in 2026 it will reach 13 parliamentarians. Furthermore, the acronyms must have representatives in at least nine states or eight states plus the Federal District.
Another important criterion is the percentage of valid votes in the election for the Chamber. In 2026, parties must reach 2.5% of valid votes, with at least 1.5% in each state or the Federal District. These votes must be distributed across at least one third of the federative units.
Parties at risk
A survey carried out by CNN Brasil indicates that at least 16 acronyms and two federations are at risk of not reaching the barrier clause this year. Among the parties that would be at the limit are the PDT, PSB, PSDB and Podemos, in addition to the PSOL-Rede Federation. Further away from , Cidadania, Novo and the Solidarity-PRD Federation.
Nine parties did not even elect deputies in the 2022 elections, and Missão will run for the first time, which puts them in an even more vulnerable situation.
Failure to overcome the barrier clause means being left without access to party fund resources and without free advertising time on radio and television.
Federations as an alternative
An alternative for parties that are at risk of not overcoming the barrier clause are party federations. In 2022, PSDB and Cidadania ran together and managed to overcome the clause, although they have already announced the end of the alliance.
The PSOL-Rede federation and the junction between PT, PCdoB and PV may still undergo changes. Recently, , today the largest party alliance in the country. Another possibility is the formation of an alliance between PSB and Cidadania, with Solidariedade and PRD competing together for the first time.
