Politics of Brazil

Politics of Brazil encompasses the country’s federal institutions, parties, elections, and political movements. Its current system is a presidential republic established by the 1988 Constitution.

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1988 Constitution of Brazil: Brazil’s supreme law, promulgated after military rule, establishing democratic institutions and fundamental rights. It provides the legal framework for Brazil’s current political system.
Coalition presidentialism: A system in which a president assembles legislative support through coalitions among multiple political parties. Brazilian presidents commonly need cross-party coalitions to pass legislation.
Brazilian Empire: The constitutional monarchy that governed Brazil from independence in 1822 until the republic’s establishment in 1889. Its centralized institutions preceded Brazil’s republican political order.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso presidency: Brazil’s 1995–2002 presidential administration, associated with economic stabilization and market-oriented reforms. Cardoso’s governments consolidated civilian rule and managed congressional coalitions.
Parliamentary system: A system of government in which the executive depends on the confidence of a legislature. Brazil elects its president separately rather than selecting a government from parliament.
Federalism in Brazil: Brazil’s division of authority among the federal government, 26 states, the Federal District, and municipalities. State and municipal powers shape elections, services, and political bargaining.
Open-list proportional representation: An electoral system in which parties win legislative seats proportionally and voters choose individual candidates on party lists. It shapes competition among candidates within Brazil’s many parties.
Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil): The 1889 military coup that ended Brazil’s monarchy and established a republic. It began the republican tradition underlying today’s political institutions.
Lula’s first and second presidencies: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s two consecutive presidential terms from 2003 to 2010. These administrations combined social programs with coalition-based legislative governance.
Semi-presidential system: A system combining a directly elected president with a prime minister responsible to a legislature. Brazil has no prime minister sharing executive authority with its president.