Ideology
The party is usually considered to be right-wing. In 2006, the party's former president Jorge Bornhausen stated in an interview to Brazil's largest newsmagazine Veja, that the party should be considered centrist and adept of social liberalism. However, other party leaders have classified it as "internationally, closest to Christian democracy".
According to political scientist Jairo Nicolau, the name change was intended to crown a process of modernization inside the party. "DEM was launched to be a modern right-wing party, with a new program, and aimed at the urban middle classes; a kind of Conservative Party in the UK", he says. This, according to him, explains the departure of founding members and the rise of younger leaders. For instance, Jorge Bornhausen, which had been a member of UDN, retired from the presidency of the party to give place to federal deputy Rodrigo Maia, son of César Maia. The Santa Catarina section of the party was taken over by Bornhausen's own son, deputy Paulo Bornhausen. In Bahia, ACM Neto took over the legacy of his grandfather, Antônio Carlos Magalhães.
Internationally, the Democrats are affiliated with both the Christian democratic Centrist Democrat International and the conservative International Democrat Union. Its youth organization Juventude Democratas and the Rio Grande do Sul section however are associated with the Liberal Network for Latin America.
Read more about this topic: Democrats (Brazil)
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