Campaignt meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 26 september 2016. AP Photo/Leo Correa. ALl rights reserved.
There are a number of interpretations of what constitutes a political party’s driving force as an organization that show how much it relies on two essential resources: the number of positions it controls in the administration, and the public budget it is responsible for.
The first resource is related to the party’s capability of placing its affiliates, who often act simultaneously as public servants and campaign officers[1] for the party, in a variety of jobs in the local administration. It is particularly important to consider here the so-called “commissioned” positions. These are posts which are filled by individuals who do not go through an open selection process, but are instead appointed directly by the local government. These jobs include many functions: from the most basic to the most complex ones; from civil-servants who actually turn up at their workplace to others who are known as “ghosts”; from high-salary positions to less paid ones. It is important to note that these positions are not only filled by the party who won the elections – actually, in some cities the word “party” does not represent much.
