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Politics

Government structure

The Federative Republic of Brazil is a democratic republic organised along federal lines; its constitution of 1988 provides for universal suffrage for all those over 16 (indeed, voting is compulsory for all those between 18 and 70 years of age other than military conscripts).

Presidential control

The country is organised into 26 states and one federal district (Brasilia) under President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, who is chief of state and head of government. The president is elected once every four years by a popular vote, and appoints the cabinet him or herself. The legislature is divided into the 81-seat Federal Senate, each senator sitting an eight-year term, and the 513-strong Chamber of Deputies, each of whom sits for four years. The president has the right of veto over all new legislation but can be removed by a majority vote in both houses.

Ruling on party switching

In October 2007, the Brazilian Supreme Court in Rio de Janeiro ruled that the country’s legislators could not switch parties during their term in office. This had been a common practice in Brazil and the ruling that this can no longer happen will pave the way for a newfound political stability, as well as a reduction in the number of parties, according to analysts who have described the ruling as “historic”.

Layers of government

Brazil’s federal system means much power resides in the individual states, each of which is run by a popularly elected governor and a legislative body. Each state is further subdivided into municipalities which also have their own executive and legislative branches, all of whom are elected by the people. Brazilians therefore claim to have one of the broadest and deepest democracies in the world.

Socialist administration

The da Silva administration is nominally left-wing – Lula himself, an ex-union chief, heads up the Workers’ Party – but the power residing in Brazil’s entrenched elite and the strength of its business class has meant that his administration has not gone as far with socialist reforms as many of his supporters had hoped – certainly not as far as Lula’s controversial ally Chavez of Venezuela.

Free press

Nevertheless, the shift to the left is apparent on the streets with increased government spending on health and education, and while many vested interests continue to defend themselves ferociously – and occasionally violently – the Brazilian press remains comparatively free, a rarity in Latin American history.

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