Parentesco e poder na política alagoana: o caso da família Beltrão

Abstract

What are the main factors that contributed to the political hegemony of the Beltrão family in Alagoas politics? The purpose of this article is to explain the mechanisms of survival and perpetuation of the Beltrão oligarchy in Alagoas politics. Faced with a case study, our analysis took as a cut the period from 1945 to 2020, prioritizing the interface of this group with the Brazilian redemocratization itself. The study takes as theoretical reference the so-called theory of elites and studies on political elites in Brazil. In the general context, the study presents an overview of the Beltrão family's trajectory in Alagoas politics, then advances on the mechanisms that ensured its extension and survival. We conclude that the main factors that sustained the Beltrão in power throughout this period were: a) municipal governmentism; b) joint control of municipalities; c) the visibility of the “surname” in regional politics; d) the existence of competitors with little electoral adhesion and; finally, e) coalitions with governors and political party choices.