Brazil: Government Structure

Brazil is a federal presidential republic in which power is divided among three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—and shared vertically between the federal government, 26 states, the Federal District of Brasília, and thousands of municipalities. The Constitution, adopted in 1988 after the end of military rule, establishes this framework and guarantees a system of representative democracy.

The President serves as both head of state and head of government, elected by popular vote for a four-year term with the possibility of one consecutive reelection. Legislative authority rests with the bicameral National Congress, composed of the 81-seat Federal Senate, with three senators representing each state and the Federal District, and the 513-seat Chamber of Deputies, whose members are apportioned among the states according to population. Senators serve eight-year terms while deputies serve four-year terms.

Judicial power is exercised through several bodies, chief among them the Supreme Federal Court, which has eleven justices appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate and serves as the guardian of the Constitution. Beneath it sit the Superior Court of Justice and a network of regional and lower federal and state courts handling ordinary, labor, electoral, and military matters. Together, these institutions interpret the Constitution and resolve disputes across Brazil's federal system.