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Brazil Government and Politics
Administrative Subdivisions: Composed of 5,581
municipalities (1997) and 9,274 districts (1995). These subdivisions
com-bined into twenty-six states and Federal District of Brasília.
These states and Federal District form five major regions: North,
including states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia,
Roraima, and Tocantins; Northeast, including Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará,
Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande
do Norte, and Sergipe; Southeast, including Espírito Santo,
Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo; South, including
Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina; and Center-West,
including Federal District, Goiás, Mato Grosso, and Mato
Grosso do Sul. North Region, country's largest, covers 45.3 percent
of national territory; Northeast, 18.3 percent; Southeast, 10.9
percent; South, smallest, 6.8 per-cent; and Center-West, 18.9 percent.
Brasília seat of govern-ment, housing executive, legislative,
and judicial branches.
Government: Federative republic with broad powers
granted to federal government. Constitution, reenacted/revised on
October 5, 1988, establishes presidential system with three branches--executive,
legislative, and judicial. Chief of state and head of government
is president. Fernando Henrique Cardoso won 1994 presidential elections
in first round on October 3, taking 54 percent of vote, and assumed
office on January 1, 1995. President assisted by vice president
(elected with president) and presidentially appointed and headed
cabinet. Cardoso may stand for reelection in 1998. Bicameral National
Congress (Congresso Nacional) consists of Federal Senate (Senado
Federal), with eighty-one members (three for each state and Federal
District) popularly elected to eight-year terms, and Chamber of
Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados), with 513 members popularly
elected to four-year terms. Elections for both houses simultaneous
and based on proportional representation weighted in favor of less
populous states. Suffrage compulsory for Brazilians above age of
eighteen. Highest court Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal
Federal--STF), whose eleven justices, including chief justice, appointed
by president to serve until age seventy. Each state has own judicial
system. Federal revenue-sharing program, established by 1988 constitution,
provides states with substantial resources. Framework of state and
local government similar to federal government. Governors may stand
for reelection to four-year terms in 1998. Federal District also
governed by governor and vice governor. Governors have more limited
powers than counterparts in United States because of centralized
nature of Brazilian system and 1988 constitution, which reserves
to federal government all powers not specifically delegated to states.
States and municipalities have limited taxing authority.
National Election Dates: Presidential, congressional,
and state elections occur simultaneously every four years in October
and November; held in October-November 1994 and scheduled for 1998
and 2002. Dates of municipal elections: October-November 1996, 2000,
and 2004.
Politics: Returned to democratic civilian government
in 1985 after more than two decades of military rule (1964-85).
President Fernando Collor de Mello elected in November 1989 and
took office on March 15, 1990, first directly elected president
in twenty-nine years. Chamber of Deputies impeached Collor in September
1992 on corruption charges, and he was removed from office by Senate
vote that December. His vice president, Itamar Franco, then assumed
presidency. In October 1994, Brazil held elections for presidency,
state governorships, Chamber of Deputies, and two-thirds of Senate.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso (president, 1995- ) gained election on
strength of heterodox alliance between his Brazilian Social Democracy
Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira--PSDB) and two center-right
parties, Liberal Front Party (Partido da Frente Liberal--PFL) and
Brazilian Labor Party (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro--PTB). Alliance
seen at time as strictly electoral, with little chance of lasting
long into administration. Thus far, it has remained intact, with
Cardoso adding Brazil's largest party, Brazilian Democratic Movement
Party (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro--PMDB),
to coalition immediately after election. Rivalries among parties
for plum federal appointments in key states and regions have, however,
plagued coalition, as has factiousness within parties. Congress
uses committee system much like United States; there are six Senate
committees and sixteen House committees. A notable distinction is
absence of conference committees to work out differences between
competing legislative texts; instead, bill modified by one house
must be returned to originating house for up-or-down vote on modifications.
Party leaders play key role in setting voting agenda. Also important
are "rapporteurs" for individual bills; negative rapporteur's
report can effectively kill bill before it reaches committee vote.
Since Cardoso's inau-guration, Congress has devoted itself largely
to constitutional reform. Each constitutional amendment requires
approval by margin of two-thirds, twice over, in each house (total
of four votes). Despite obstacles, Congress has moved constitutional
reform forward farther and faster than expected, particularly in
economic area.
Political Parties: Fourteen political parties
span most of political spectrum. PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement
Party) Brazil's largest party; PFL (Liberal Front Party) is second
largest party and largest on center-right; PTB (Brazilian Labor
Party) is populist party confined to several western states; PSDB
(Brazilian Social Democracy Party) includes President Cardoso and
espouses a center-left social democratic agenda and free-market
economy with greater involvement in health care and education; Brazilian
Socialist Party (Partido Socialista Brasileiro--PSB) is leftist
party; Communist Party of Brazil (Partido Comunista do Brasil--PC
do B) still has Soviet-style platform. Other parties include Democratic
Social Party (Partido Democrático Social--PDS) and Democratic
Labor Party (Partido Democrático Trabalhista--PDT), populist
party whose leaders, including Leonel de Moura Brizola, stress greater
government role in addressing Brazil's social problems. Liberal
Party (Partido Liberal) is also center-right party, popular among
small businessmen at state and local levels in São Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro; National Reconstruction Party (Partido da Reconstrução
Nacional--PRN) is party of former President Collor de Mello; Popular
Socialist Party (Partido Popular Socialista--PPS) is former Brazilian
Communist Party, renamed in 1993; Progressive Party (Partido Progressista--PP)
is center-right party supporting market-oriented policies; Progressive
Renewal Party (Partido Progressista Renovador--PPR) is another center-right
party supporting free-market reforms; and Workers' Party (Partido
dos Trabalhadores--PT) is European-style leftist party headed by
party founder Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva.
Foreign Relations: Traditionally, United States-oriented
but foreign policy increasingly diverse and pragmatic. Foreign policy
dominated by trade concerns. Highly active and pro-fessional Ministry
of Foreign Affairs popularly known as Itamaraty. Guiding principles
of Brazilian diplomacy, as defined by President Cardoso, involve
quest for greater democracy in international relations and support
for economic multilateralism with clear and defined rules. Defense
of principle of sustainable development (see Glossary) at Rio de
Janeiro's Earth Summit in June l992, conclusion in 1995 of Uruguay
Round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT--see Glossary),
and desire for permanent seat on United Nations Security Council
all part of these basic objectives. Parallel regional objectives
include need for Brazil to seek regional options for increasing
country's bargaining power. Brazilian proposal for creation of South
American Free Trade Association (SAFTA) is important step in this
direction.
International Agreements and Membership: Party
to Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance of 1947 (Rio Treaty)
(see Glossary), Treaty of Tlatelolco (see Glossary), and Missile
Technology Control Regime (see Glossary). Until June 20, 1997, Brazil
refused to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Memberships
in international organizations many and varied, such as United Nations
and specialized agencies; Organization of American States (see Glossary)
and specialized agencies; regional trade and cooperation organizations,
including Common Market of the South (Mer-cado Comum do Sul--Mercosul;
see Glossary); international commodity agreements; and multilateral
lending institutions.
Data as of April 1997
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