Brazilian Workers' Party flag.

The Partido dos Trabalhadores (Portuguese for Workers' Party) is a left-wing political party in Brazil. It was officially founded by a group of intellectuals and workers in February, 10, 1980 at Colégio Sion(Sion High School) in São Paulo. Among other people were present: Jacó Bittar, Henrique Santillo, Henos Amorina, Wagner Benevides, José Cicote, Paulo Skromov, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Olívio Dutra, Édson Khair, Manuel da Conceição, Arnóbio Vieira da Silva, Lourin Martinho dos Santos, Mário Pedrosa, Moacir Gadoti, Apolônio de Carvalho. Brazil's current president, Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is one of its founders, and the most famous member of the party at the present time.

The PT was legally recognized as a political party by Brazilian Electoral Superior Court on February 11, 1982.

The color of the party is red and its symbol is a red star with the label "PT" inside it. The flag is red with a white star with the label "PT" in red.

There are about thirty tendencies within the PT, ranging from the center-left group that Lula is a part of to Marxists and Christian socialists. Its members are known as petistas, from the Portuguese acronym "PT". The party is recognized by some people as one of the most important left parties of Latin America.

Recent history

Mr. José Genoino is the current president of the PT - Brazilian Workers' Party (Photo by Cesar Ogatha).

After 1990 the Worker's Party has grown in popularity, winning elections in many important cities, like São Paulo and Porto Alegre, and states like Rio Grande do Sul. However, the most important event was the victory of its President candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2002, succeeding President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of PSDB.

Some known members of the Worker's Party are: José Dirceu, José Genoino(Party President), Luis Inácio Lula da Silva(Brazil's President), Luiz Gushiken, Antônio Palocci Filho, Marta Suplicy, Eduardo Suplicy, Olívio Dutra, Aloízio Mercadante, Frei Betto, etc.

Books about the Workers' Party - PT

• Harnecker, Martha - "O sonho era possível"; São Paulo, Casa das Américas, 1994.
• Pedrosa, Mário - "Sobre o PT"; São Paulo, CHED Editorial, 1980.
• Rosenfield, Denis L. - "O PT na Encruzilhada", 2000.
• Paulo Moura - "PT - Comunismo ou Social-Democracia?".
• Dagoberto Lima Godoy -"Neocomunismo no Brasil"
• Percival Puggina - "Crônicas contra o totalitarismo"
• José Hildebrando Dacanal -"A nova classe no poder"
• Antônio Hohlfeldt - "O fascínio da estrela".
• Adolpho João de Paula Couto - "A face oculta da estrela".
• José Antônio Giusti Tavares, Fernando Schüller, Ronaldo Moreira Brum e Valério Rohden - "Totalitarismo tardio - o caso do PT"
• A. J. Paula Couto - "O PT em pílulas".
• Demier, Felipe - "As Transformações do Pt e os Rumos da Esquerda no Brasil".
• Singer, Andre - "O Pt - Folha Explica".

External links

• Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (Brazilian Electoral Superior Court) (http://www.tse.gov.br/)
• Partido dos Trabalhadores(Workers' Party) official webpage, in Portuguese (http://www.pt.org.br/)
• Perseu Abramo Foundation (FPA) (http://www.fpa.org.br/internacional/english/english.htm)
• Foro de São Paulo. Organization guided by PT. (http://www.forosaopaulo.org)