Desire for change: The motives and reasons behind the defeat of the PT in Porto Alegre in the 2004 elections

Abstract

The aim of this article is to assess the extent to which Participatory Budget influenced electoral decision in Porto Alegre until 2004, last year of government from the Workers Party (PT) in that county. Based on data from a survey applied on 03 October 2004, the article is a voter’s photograph in that transition moment, looking to investigate the reasons for their electoral choice and their perception about the fundamental mechanism of PT governments in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul: the Participatory Budget.