Independence:
7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution:
5 October 1988
Legal system:
based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory
over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not
vote
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1
January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1
January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1
October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October
2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010)
election results: Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) reelected president
- 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the
Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each
state and federal district elected according to the principle of
majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a
four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year
period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513
seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third
of the Senate (next to be held October 2010 for two-thirds of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be
held October 2010)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PFL 1, PDT 1,
PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following
election - PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 11, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL
3, PCdoB 2, PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL
65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13,
PV 13, PSC 9, other 17
Judicial branch:
Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by
the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of
Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life);
note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal
employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70
Political parties and leaders:
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel
TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Flavio de CASTRO MARTINEZ];
Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy Fidelix DA CRUZ];
Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS];
Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI];
Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Federal Deputy Eduardo Henrique
Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato
RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI];
Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Green Party
or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or
PHS [leader NA]; Liberal Party or PL [Federal Deputy Valdemar COSTA
Neto]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Federal Deputy
Dr. Eneas Ferreira CARNEIRO]; Partido Municipalista Renovador or PMR
[Natal Wellington Rodrigues FURUCHO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS
[Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal
Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge
ABDALA NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations; large
farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical
Christian churches and the Catholic Church