ctoral system. The congress is elected nonconcurrently and the president is elected by majority run-off. This change may cause a fractionalization of the parties. Early signs of fractionalization are evident in the current election. A group of three parties: the UCR, the FREPASO, the FPS, are forming and alliance against the traditionally dominate PJ. The coalition may not last beyond he election. Party Discipline Party discipline is defined by Mainwaring and Shugart as "the extent to which presidents can rely on party leaders to deliver the vote of their party or, conversely, the extent to which presidents need to secure the support of individual legislators or party factions"(p. 418). Presidential systems are known for not being very disciplined. A lack of discipline allows legislator to make decisions based on their gut beliefs and in the interests of the people they represent, not a party. On the other hand, a completely undisciplined congress makes forming stable relationships between groups within government difficult which can ultimately force the president to use unorthodox means of gaining support. Therefore, the ideal level of discipline is somewhere in-between these two extremes. Mainwaring and Shugart propose three elements sum up the level of party discipline within a country. First, does the party control the selection of candidates, open list? Second, does the party control the order of the candidates in elections, closed list? Third, does the party pool votes among candidates or lists within districts? Table 11.5 in Chapter 11 maps out countries in relation to these elements. Brazil is the least disciplined of the three countries. Brazil uses a "birthright candidate" open list system. The purpose of the "birthright candidate" rule is to give politicians more freedom of choice. The rule states deputies cannot be denied future nomination by the party despite their level of submission to party...
