O fim das coligações proporcionais e os dilemas entre governabilidade e representatividade: evolução da representação pertidária na câmara municipal de Fortaleza

Abstract

Proportional coalitions have long been criticized on the grounds that they contribute to party fragmentation, hinder consensus‑building between the Executive and Legislative branches, and undermine party representation, insofar as votes cast for one party may result in the election of representatives from another party within the same coalition. In this context, Constitutional Amendment No. 97/2017 eliminated proportional coalitions from the Brazilian electoral system. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to address the following question: does the abolition of proportional coalitions effectively resolve the legitimacy crisis of party representation in Executive–Legislative relations? The research adopts a qualitative approach, examining the party composition of the City Council of Fortaleza based on the results of the 2016 and 2020 municipal elections. The findings reveal a significant reduction in the number of parties represented in the Municipal Legislature, disproportionately affecting smaller parties, particularly those located on the left of the political spectrum. In light of these results, the article argues that party federations constitute a viable institutional alternative, capable of mitigating the effects of the extinction of proportional coalitions while preserving representativeness and programmatic coherence within the party system.