1845 Riograndense Chamber of Deputies election (RRG)

The 1845 Riograndense Chamber of Deputies election was held on April 6, 1845 in order to elect all members of the Chamber of Deputies. The election marked the first time that the politics of the country would be divided between political parties as the Farroupilha Party split into conservative and a liberal factions, which would go on to form the National and Radical parties respectively.

Electoral system
The 25 members of the Chamber of Deputies were elected using block voting where the candidates that received the most votes would receive a seat. Voting was restricted to freeborn Roman Catholic males with an annual income of above 100 thousand reis.

Background
In the aftermath of the previous election, the political unity that marked the foundation of the Republic rapidly deteriorated as the liberals, who had largely supported the country's independence, were dissatisfied by the Constitution of 1841 and the political regime that it established. The growing split between those that supported the current constitution and those that opposed it would split the Farroupilha Party into two factions.

The activity of the previous legislature was dominated by two subjects: foreign policy and the question of slavery. The new country attempted to establish friendly relations with neighboring Argentina and Uruguay. Riograndense reliance on the commerce of beef jerky with Brazil and Europe led the government to begin the normalization of relations with Brazil and the opening of the economy to British investment. These efforts largely paid off as the country entered a period of stability as it re-gained its status as the main supplier of beef jerky to Brazil.

The issue of slavery had long divided the revolutionaries as they were divided between a majority that opposed slavery while a significant minority supported it. In the first years of the legislature, two laws that would abolish the institutionAfter the election of Bento Gonçalves as president and the renewal of 1/3 of the Senate in 1843 the road to a constitutional amendment on the abolition of slavery was opened. In August 1844 the General Assembly convened and approved, by a vote of 26 to 9, an amendment to prohibit slavery. To become a constitutional amendment, the law would need to be re-approved by the following legislature by a two-thirds vote.

Aftermath
The largest achievement of the second General Assembly was its approval of the previous legislature's constitutional amendment on the abolition of slavery on June 2, 1845. The landowners, which had largely opposed the amendment, was compensated for its loss. This amendment would prove crucial in the country's future economic success as the transition from slavery to free labor was a major factor in the country's future industrialization and economic growth.

The growing frustration of the liberals over the role of the Catholic Church and the limits on political rights would ultimately lead to the creation of numerous secret societies whose aim was to overthrow the current government in order to enact radical reforms. This sentiment would build up over the next five years and would ultimately lead to the military coup that would end the First Republic in 1851.