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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Politics of Brazil
Política do Brasil

Coat of arms of Brazil

Polity type Federal presidential constitutional republic
Constitution Constitution of Brazil
Legislative branch
Name National Congress
Type Bicameral
Meeting place National Congress Palace
Upper house
Name Federal Senate
Presiding officer Rodrigo Pacheco, President of the Federal Senate
Lower house
Name Chamber of Deputies
Presiding officer Arthur Lira, President of the Chamber of Deputies
Executive branch
Head of state and government
Title President
Currently Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Appointer Direct popular vote
Cabinet
Name Cabinet of Brazil
Current cabinet Second cabinet of Lula da Silva
Leader President
Deputy leader Vice President
Appointer President
Headquarters Palácio do Planalto
Ministries 37
Judicial branch
Name Judiciary of Brazil
Courts Federal courts of Brazil
Supreme Federal Court
Chief judge Luís Roberto Barroso
Superior Court of Justice
Chief judge Maria Thereza Moura
This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Brazil

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Legislative
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The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential
representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and
head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative
organization of Brazil comprises the federal government, the 26 states and a
federal district, and the municipalities.

The federal government exercises control over the central government and is divided
into three independent branches: executive, legislative and judicial. Executive
power is exercised by the President, advised by a cabinet. Legislative power is
vested upon the National Congress, a two-chamber legislature comprising the Federal
Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Judicial power is exercised by the judiciary,
consisting of the Supreme Federal Court, the Superior Court of Justice and other
Superior Courts, the National Justice Council and the Regional Federal Courts.

The states are autonomous sub-national entities with their own governments that,
together with the other federal units, form the Federative Republic of Brazil.
Currently, Brazil is divided politically and administratively into 27 federal
units, being 26 states and one federal district. The executive power is exercised
by a governor elected to a four-year term. The judiciary is exercised by courts of
first and second instance addressing the common justice. Each state has a
unicameral legislature with deputies who vote on state laws. The Constitution of
Brazil knows also two elements of direct democracy, stated in Article 14.[1] The
legislative assemblies supervise the activities of the Executive power of the
states and municipalities.

The municipalities are minor federal units of the Federative Republic of Brazil.
Each municipality has an autonomous local government, comprising a mayor, directly
elected by the people to a four-year term, and a legislative body, also directly
elected by the people.

Brazil has an unrestricted multiparty system with a large number of political

parties. Some parties lack ideological consistency and it is common for congressmen
to switch parties, weakening electoral coalitions. At same time, the high number of
political parties makes the Executive need to gather alliances of different
political parties must piece together diverse and often ideologically incoherent
coalitions to pass legislation (this is known as coalition presidentialism).[2][3]
[4] The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index rated Brazil as a "flawed
democracy" in 2022.[5] Brazil was 2023 the 13th most electoral democratic country
in Latin America and the Caribbean according to the V-Dem Democracy indices.[6]

Constitution
Main article: Constitution of Brazil

Supreme Federal Court

Brazil has had seven constitutions:

Constitution of 1824 – the first Brazilian constitution, enacted by Emperor Pedro

I. It was monarchic, hereditary, and highly centralized, permitting suffrage only
to property-holders.
Constitution of 1891 – the republic was proclaimed in 1889, but a new constitution
was not promulgated until 1891. This federalist, democratic constitution was
heavily influenced by the U.S. model. However, women and illiterates were not
permitted to vote.
Constitution of 1934 – when Getúlio Vargas came to power in 1930, he canceled the
1891 constitution and did not permit a new one until 1934. The Constitutionalist
Revolution of 1932 forced Vargas to enact a new democratic constitution that
permitted women's suffrage. Getúlio Vargas was indirectly elected president by the
Constitutional Assembly to a four-year term, beginning in 1933.
Constitution of 1937 – Getúlio Vargas suppressed a Communist uprising in 1935 and
two years later (November 10, 1937) used it as a pretext to establish autocratic
rule. He instituted a corporatist constitution nicknamed the Polish, (because it
was said to have been inspired by a Polish constitution), written by Francisco
Campos.
Constitution of 1946 – in October, 1945, with World War II over, a civil-military
coup ousted dictatorial Getúlio Vargas, an Assembly wrote a democratic
constitution.
Constitution of 1967 – after the 1964 coup d'État against João Goulart, the
military dictatorship passed the Institutional Acts, a supraconstitutional law.
This strongly undemocratic constitution simply incorporated these Acts.
Constitution of 1988 – the current constitution, drafted in the process of
redemocratization. It is marked by a reaction to the military dictatorship,
guaranteeing individual rights, it is also more expansive than a typical
constitution – many statutory acts in other countries are written into this
constitution, like Social Security and taxes.
Political parties and elections
Main article: List of political parties in Brazil

National Congress of Brazil, the national legislature and the only in bicameral
format

Palácio do Planalto, the seat of the executive power

According to sociologist Marcelo Ridenti, Brazilian politics is divided between
internationalist liberals and statist nationalists.[7] The first group consists of
politicians arguing that internationalization of the economy is essential for the
development of the country, while the latter rely on interventionism, and
protection of state enterprises.[7] According to Ridenti, who cites the Fernando
Henrique Cardoso administration as an example of the first group and the Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva administration as an example of the second, "we have it
cyclically".[7]

Lula's Workers' Party tended to the statist nationalist side, although there are
privatizing forces within his party and government, while Cardoso's Social
Democratic Party tended to favor the international private market side by taking
neoliberal policies as with the global Third Way.[7] Lula compares himself with
Getúlio Vargas, Juscelino Kubitschek and João Goulart, presidents seen as statist
nationalists.[8]

As of May 2017, 16,668,589 Brazilians were affiliated with a political party.[9]

The largest parties are MDB (which accounts for 14.4% of affiliated voters), the PT
(9.5% of affiliated voters), and PSDB (8.7% of affiliated voters).[9]

In 2020, the scenario is that the country has more than 30 active political
parties, and only one of them defines itself as a right-wing party (PL), with a
clear political imbalance. The country has several far-left parties like PSOL, PCO,
PSTU, PCB, UP, PCdoB, left parties like PT, PSB, PDT, PV, Rede and Solidariedade
and center-left like PSDB, PMN and Cidadania. Ten parties declare themselves as the
center: MDB, PSD, Agir, DC, PROS, Avante, Patriota, Podemos and PMB. Five parties
declare themselves as center-right: Brazil Union, PTB, Progressistas, PSC, PRTB and
Republicanos. The only party that claims to be purely liberal, without further
consideration, is Novo. When asked about their ideological spectrum, Brazilian
parties tend to give obtuse and non-conclusive answers on the subject.[10]

Government

It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled
Government in Brazil. (Discuss) (April 2022)
Federal government
Main article: Federal government of Brazil

Chamber of Deputies, the lower house

Federal Senate, the upper house

Brazil is a federal presidential constitutional republic, based on representative
democracy. The federal government has three independent branches: executive,
legislative, and judicial. Executive power is exercised by the executive branch,
headed by the President, advised by a Cabinet. The President is both the head of
state and the head of government. Legislative power is vested upon the National
Congress, a two-chamber legislature comprising the Federal Senate and the Chamber
of Deputies. Judicial power is exercised by the judiciary, consisting of the
Supreme Federal Court, the Superior Court of Justice and other Superior Courts, the
National Justice Council and the Regional Federal Courts.

States
Main article: States of Brazil

The Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro holds the legislature of Rio de Janeiro
state.

Palácio Tiradentes holds the executive power of Minas Gerais state.

The 26 Brazilian states are semi-autonomous self-governing entities organized with
complete administration branches, relative financial independence and their own set
of symbols, similar to those owned by the country itself. Despite their relative
autonomy they all have the same model of administration, as set by the Federal
Constitution.

States hold elections every four years and exercise a considerable amount of power.
The 1988 constitution allows states to keep their own taxes, set up State Houses,
and mandates regular allocation of a share of the taxes collected locally by the
federal government.

The Executive role is held by the Governador (Governor) and his appointed
Secretários (Secretaries); the Legislative role is held by the Assembléia
Legislativa (Legislative Assembly); and the Judiciary role, by the Tribunal de
Justiça (Justice Tribunal). The governors and the members of the assemblies are
elected, but the members of the Judiciary are appointed by the governor from a list
provided by the current members of the State Law Court containing only judges
(these are chosen by merit in exams open to anyone with a law degree). The name
chosen by the governor must be approved by the Assembly before inauguration. The
1988 Constitution has granted the states the greatest amount of autonomy since the
Old Republic.

Each of the 26 state governors must achieve more than 50% of the vote, including a
second round run-off between the top two candidates if necessary. In contrast to
the federal level, state legislatures are unicameral, although the deputies are
elected through similar means, involving an open-list system in which the state
serves as one constituency. State level elections occur at the same time as those
for the presidency and Congress. In 2002, candidates from eight different parties
won the gubernatorial contest while 28 parties are represented in the country's
state legislatures. The last set of elections took place in 2006.

Municipalities
Main article: Municipalities of Brazil

The Municipal Chamber of São Paulo, the municipal legislature of São Paulo city

Palácio do Anhangabaú holds the municipal executive power of São Paulo.

Brazil has no clear distinction between towns and cities (in effect, the Portuguese
word cidade means both). The only possible difference is regarding the
municipalities that have a court of first instance and those that do not. The
former are called Sedes de Comarca (seats of a comarca, which is the territory
under the rule of that court). Other than that, only size and importance differs
one from another.

The municipality (município) is a territory comprising one urban area, the sede
(seat), from which it takes the name, and several other minor urban or rural areas,
the distritos (districts). The seat of a municipality must be the most populous
urban area within it; when another urban area grows too much it usually splits from
the original municipality to form another one.

A municipality is relatively autonomous: it enacts its own "constitution", which is

called organic law (Lei Orgânica), and it is allowed to collect taxes and fees, to
maintain a municipal police force (albeit with very restricted powers), to pass
laws on any matter that do not contradict either the state or the national
constitutions, and to create symbols for itself (like a flag, an anthem and a coat-
of-arms). However, not all municipalities exercise all of this autonomy. For
instance, only a few municipalities keep local police forces, some of them do not
collect some taxes (to attract investors or residents) and many of them do not have
a flag (although they are all required to have a coat-of-arms).

Municipalities are governed by an elected prefeito (Mayor) and a unicameral Câmara

de Vereadores (Councillors' Chamber). In municipalities with more than 200,000
voters, the Mayor must be elected by more than 50% of the valid vote. The executive
power is called Prefeitura.

Brazilian municipalities can vary widely in area and population. The municipality
of Altamira, in the State of Pará, with 161,445.9 square kilometres of area, is
larger than many countries in the world. Several Brazilian municipalities have over
1,000,000 inhabitants, with São Paulo, at more than 9,000,000, being the most
populous.

Until 1974 Brazil had one state-level municipality, the State of Guanabara, now
merged with the State of Rio de Janeiro, which comprised the city of Rio de Janeiro
solely.

Federal District
Main article: Federal District (Brazil)

Legislative Chamber of the Federal District

The Federal District is an anomalous unit of the federation, as it is not organized
in the same manner as a municipality, does not possess the same autonomy as a state
(though usually ranked among them), and is closely related to the central power.

It is considered a single and indivisible entity, constituted by the seat, Brasília

and some of the satellite cities. Brasília and the satellite cities are governed by
the Regional Administrators individually and as a whole are governed by the
Governor of the Federal District.

History
Throughout its modern history, Brazil has struggled to build a democratic and
egalitarian society because of its origins as a plantation colony and the strong
influence of slavery.

Empire
Main article: Empire of Brazil
In 1822 the Prince Pedro de Alcântara, son of King John VI of Portugal, proclaimed
independence. He was the first Emperor (Pedro I) until his abdication in 1831 in
favor of his elder son. Due to the son's age (five years) a regency was established
and the country had its first elections, though voting was restricted to a minority
of the population.

Old Republic (1889–1930)

Main article: First Brazilian Republic
In 1889, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca declared the republic, by a coup d'état.

When the republic succeeded the empire, Auguste Comte's motto "Order and Progress"
appeared on the flag of the Republic and the 1891 Constitution was inspired by
Auguste Comte's Course of Positive Philosophy and System of Positive Politics. The
Republic's beginnings were marked by "coronelism", an equivalent of the caudillism
of the Spanish-speaking countries. The "old republic" (1889–1930) is also known as
the "oligarchic republic".[11]

Until 1930, the Brazilian republic was formally a democracy, although the power was
concentrated in the hands of powerful land owners.

Vargas years (1930–1945)

Main article: Vargas Era
In 1930, a bloodless coup led Getúlio Vargas to power. For about 15 years, he
controlled the country's politics, with a brief three-year constitutional
interregnum from 1934 to 1937. A longer, heavier regime, the Estado Novo had loose
ties with European fascism and spanned the years 1938 to 1945.

Populist years (1946–1964)

Main article: Second Brazilian Republic
Like most of Latin America, Brazil experienced times of political instability after
the Second World War. When Vargas was ousted from the presidency in another
bloodless coup d'état, in 1945, a new and modern constitution was passed and the
country had its first experience with an effective and widespread democracy. But
the mounting tension between populist politicians (like Vargas himself and, later,
Jânio Quadros) and the right led to a crisis that ultimately brought up the
military coup d'état in 1964, now known, through declassified documents, to have
been supported by the American Central Intelligence Agency.[12]

Military dictatorship (1964–1985)

Main article: Brazilian military government
In 1964 a military-led coup d'état deposed the democratically elected president of
Brazil, João Goulart. Between 1964 and 1985, Brazil was governed by the military,
with a two-party system that comprised a pro-government National Renewal Alliance
Party (ARENA) and an opposition Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB). Thousands of
politicians (including former president Juscelino Kubitschek) had their political
rights suspended, and military-sanctioned indirect elections were held for most
elected positions until political liberalization during the government of João
Figueiredo.

New Republic (1985–1990)

Main articles: José Sarney and History of Brazil since 1985
In 1985, the military were defeated in an election according to the scheme they had
set up as a consequence of the loss of political support among the elites. The
opposition candidate, Tancredo Neves, was elected president, but died of natural
causes before he was able to take office. Fearing a political vacuum that might
stifle the democratic effort, Neves' supporters urged vice-president, José Sarney
to take the oath and govern the country. Tancredo Neves had said that his election
and the demise of military régime would create a "New Republic" and Sarney's term
of government is often referred to by this name.