Redemocratization in Brazil
[1] Then-president Ernesto Geisel began the process of liberalization (nicknamed Portuguese: distensão) in 1974, by allowing for the Brazilian Democratic Movement opposition party's participation in congressional elections.He worked to address human rights violations and began to undo the military dictatorship's founding legislation, the Institutional Acts, in 1978.The 1985 election of a ruling opposition party marked the military dictatorship's end.The process of liberalization ultimately was successful, culminating with the promulgation of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution.[2] The democratization's historiography shows disagreement as to whether the opening was spurred more by divisions among the country's elite or by pressure from civil society, including church grassroots, new unionism, and opposition voters.