Republicans (Brazil)

Founded in 2005, the Brazilian Republican Party first fought against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, then rallied behind him after his re-election in 2006. According to one study, the PRB has been supportive of the Lula da Silva and Rousseff presidencies “on the basis of their concern for social democracy and for eliminating inequality.”[6] However, all of the PRB's deputies voted in favor of her impeachment.

The deputies from the PRB voted in favor of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in 2016. They then supported the government of Michel Temer. In the 2018 presidential election, the Brazilian Republican Party supports the candidate of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, Geraldo Alckmin. It then supports President Jair Bolsonaro.[7]

In August 2019 the Brazilian Republican Party changed its name into Republicanos.[8]

The party leader as of 2015 was Vitor Paulo dos Santos.

The party's most important members are Bishop Marcelo Crivella, Rio de Janeiro senator and nephew of Universal's founder Bishop Edir Macedo, journalist Celso Russomanno[9] and former Vice-President José Alencar. Famous football player Ronaldinho, also known as Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, joined the party in March 2018.[10] Since 2020, president's son Carlos Bolsonaro is member of the party.

Some commentators say that the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (UCKG, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a neo-charismatic church which is organized like a business enterprise) has used the party as a base for its "bishops" to run for political office. The emeritus professor of political sciences from the University of Brasília, David Fleischer, concludes: "The PRB is an evangelical party."[11] However several members, e.g Celso Russomanno,[9] are Catholic.

Several leading members, e.g. Edir Macedo and Marcelo Crivella, have expressed statements of Christian fundamentalism and religious intolerance. A UN report accused members of the UCKG of verbal and physical attacks on members of the Umbanda and Candomblé religions.[12]

Edir Macedo considered participating in presidential elections in order to transform Brazil into a theocratic state.[12]

As mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Crivella called the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro an "un-Christian excess" and ordered severe financial cuts for the organisers.[13] Furthermore, he is known for statements of religious intolerance. In his 1999 book Evangelizing Africa, he claimed that homosexuality is a "terrible evil," that Catholics are "demonic", that African religions are based on "evil spirits," and that Hindus drink their children's blood.[14][15] He has since tried to distance himself from the book, saying that it was the work of a young, immature missionary.[14]