Conclusion

Abstract

The fundamental concern of this work has been the analysis of the process through which the new constitution was drafted with a view to assessing the extent and the way to which it helped, or hindered, the full restoration and consolidation of democratic politics in Brazil. The focus has been on the formal workings and interplay of the political forces around the issue of the constitutional renewal. This approach was chosen not only because of its crucial importance in understanding the outcome of the Brazilian constitutional renewal, but also because of what it could reveal about the nature of Brazilian politics, and of what this, in turn, could reveal about the obstacles for democratic consolidation.