Democratic Social Party
The Democratic Social Party was a conservative Brazilian political party.
It was established in 1979 as a continuation of the National Renewal Alliance, the political wing of the military during the 1965–79 military dictatorship, at a time in which the country was moving away from authoritarianism. However, the official foundation date is 31 January 1980. In 1985, when Paulo Maluf won the party's nomination for the presidential bid, a huge group, led by José Sarney, Jorge Bornhausen and Marco Maciel, founded the Liberal Front Party. Sarney was elected vice-president in that year's election, but he served from the beginning as president, due to the death of President-elect Tancredo Neves.
The Democratic Social Party suffered bad defeats in both the 1986 and 1990 elections for the Chamber of Deputies, when at the same time PFL took 17.7% and 12.4%. In 1986, in particular, the party was seriously defeated also in state elections, so that all of the 12 governorships won in 1982 were lost.
In 1993, the party merged with the Christian Democratic Party to form the Reform Progressive Party, which was intended to be a moderate-conservative party. In 1995 the PPR merged with the Progressive Party, formed a new party called Brazilian Progressive Party, currently known as Progressistas. While the PFL became known as the Democrats in 2007 and mrged with the Social Liberal Party in 2021 to form Brazil Union. In 2025, both successors of the PDS–PP and União–formed the Progressive Union Federation.
Electoral history
Presidential elections
Election was on electoral college not popular vote.| Election | Party candidate | Electoral votes | % | Result |
| 1985 | Paulo Maluf | 180 | 27.27% | Lost |
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
| 1989 | Paulo Maluf | 5,986,012 | 8.9% | Lost |
Chamber of Deputies and Senate elections
Notorious members
Former members| Name | Birth date | Death date | Relevant offices by PDS | Relevant offices by other parties |
| João Figueiredo | 15 January 1918 | 24 December 1999 | ||
| Aureliano Chaves | 13 January 1929 | 30 April 2003 | ||
| Paulo Maluf | 3 September 1931 | living | ||
| José Maria Marin | 6 May 1932 | living | ||
| Antônio Carlos Magalhães | 4 September 1927 | 20 July 2007 | ||
| João Alves Filho | 3 July 1941 | 24 November 2020 | ||
| Jorge Kalume | 3 December 1920 | 26 October 2010 | ||
| Fernando Collor de Mello | 12 August 1949 | living | ||
| Vasco Azevedo Neto | 25 February 1916 | 30 September 2010 |