1871 Riograndense general election (Rags to Riches)

The 1871 Riograndense general election was held on August 13, 1871 to (re-)elect the president and elect the country's sixth Chamber of Deputies. The election was contentious because of President Coruja, who inherited the presidency after David Canabarro's death in 1867, decided to seek re-election. This caused an uproar in the conservative wing of the Liberal Party, as the Coruja-Tavares ticket was firmly on the party's left. This led to the rise of independent candidate Joaquim Vieira da Cunha, supported by much the conservative wing of the party. Despite a second split of the party's conservative wing, the Liberal Party continued in its status as the dominant party.