Da farda à urna: entre o autoritarismo herdado e a cidadania em disputa na participação política de policiais civis e militares

Abstract

This thesis investigates the political participation of police officers in contemporary Brazil, focusing on their growing presence in the National Congress and the implications of this phenomenon for democracy, human rights, and the representative system. It is a study that addresses a timely and sensitive topic, one that challenges both the traditional frameworks of institutional politics and the boundaries of citizenship within a democratic state governed by the rule of law. The central hypothesis is that, although many of these parliamentarians are commonly associated with punitive, conservative, or authoritarian discourses, their political trajectories and legislative practices reveal a more complex dynamic, marked by internal contradictions, corporative disputes, and also legitimate demands for recognition, professional appreciation, and social justice. To account for this complexity, the research adopts a theoretical, normative, and empirical approach, structured in three chapters. The first chapter offers a critical reading of the historical formation of the modern state, examining the links between sovereignty, the monopoly of force, and the social construction of citizenship, with special attention to the effects of the militarization of public security on the individuals working within these institutions. The second chapter analyzes national and international legal frameworks that regulate the eligibility and political rights of police and military personnel, problematizing the tensions between institutional discipline, democratic representation, and the principles of equality and universality of citizenship. The third chapter focuses on an empirical analysis of the profile, ideological positions, and legislative practices of federal deputies from security forces elected between 2011 and 2024, organizing data on their party affiliations, institutional ties, voting records, and political behavior. Based on extensive legislative data collection, analysis of voting patterns, and comparison with specialized literature, the study demonstrates that the so-called “Public Security Caucus” has consolidated itself as a relevant and influential actor in the national political arena, with significant effects on the debates surrounding rights, public policies, and democracy itself. The thesis argues that the phenomenon of police politicization should not be reduced to hasty diagnoses or binary interpretations but must be approached with critical seriousness, analytical rigor, and within the framework of a political culture committed to democratic values, fundamental rights, pluralism, and respect for difference.