1847 Riograndense general election (Rags to Riches)

The 1847 Riograndense general election was held on August 15, 1847 in order to elect the country's second president and its second Chamber of Deputies. The previous president, Bento Gonçalves da Silva, had died in July 1847, leading the Vice President Jardim to the presidency. Through a constitutional loophole, Jardim managed to seek re-election, as re-election is prohibited for any president that is elected in the prior election. The 1847 election marked the consolidation of the Liberal Consensus, as the new Liberal Party largely retained its constitutional majority in the Chamber and Jardim was re-elected as president, despite a diminished majority.

Background
The election was held during a period of social, economical and political stability, leading the campaign to concentrate on the proposals of political reform spearheaded by the Liberal Party. These reforms were widely popular among the electorate and included universal male suffrage and the creation of municipal governments that would be directly elected by the inhabitants of each municipality. The Liberal Party also applied a process of nationalization for many immigrants, as they were positively seen by the majority of the population and were responsible for the colonization of the country's outskirts.