Brazil Politics

Brazil Politics - Intro

Brazil has been led by democratic governments since the 1980s. Residents of the country vote for one of a number of different parties.

All Brazilian residents who can read and write and who are between the ages of 18 and 69 must vote. Anyone who is 16, 17, or over age 69, or is illiterate, can choose to vote.

The government of Brazil is divided into three branches.

Executive Branch

The president is elected via ballot votes and he or she holds executive power. The president’s term is four years.

Legislative Branch

The National Congress holds legislative power. It includes these institutions:

The Federal Senate: 81 members, elected by a system of proportional representation, in position for four years.
Chamber of Deputies: 513 members, elected by a direct ballot for eight years. They have districts assigned in proportion to the population.

Each state in Brazil is assigned a governor and an elected legislature.

Judicial Branch

The Supreme Federal Tribunal has the highest judicial power.

Each judge is elected by the tribunal members and their term is for life.

The judicial system is responsible for appealing and supporting any decisions made by the government that affect the rights of Brazil’s residents. This gives the judicial system a huge amount of power within the legal system of Brazil.

Politics

The Liberal Front Party (PFL) represents Brazil’s conservative side, and the Communist Party of Brazil (PC) is opposed to the present-day government.

The government controls many sectors of the economy, including power generation and telecommunications. Privatization helps to overcome such monopolies.

More than 60% of the government’s revenue comes from tax payments, including personal taxes and government taxes on corporation income, financial operations, fuel, and land.