Government & politics — Brazil
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Brazil: Federative Republic of Brazil
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Federative Republic of Brazil
- Country Name
Brazil
- Local - Long
República Federativa do Brasil
- Local - Short
Brasil
- Etymology- history of name
the country name derives from the brazilwood tree that used to grow plentifully along the coast of Brazil and that was used to produce a deep red dye
- Independence
7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
- National Holiday
Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Political system
- Government Type
federal presidential republic
- Constitution
- history: several previous;
- latest ratified 5 October 1988 amendments: proposed by at least one third of either house of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by simple majority vote by more than half of the state legislative assemblies; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote by both houses in each of two readings; constitutional provisions affecting the federal form of government, separation of powers, suffrage, or individual rights and guarantees cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2022
- Legal System:
civil law; note - a new civil law code was enacted in 2002 replacing the 1916 code
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (since 1 January 2023); Vice President Geraldo José Rodrigues ALCKMIN Filho (since 1 January 2023); note - the president is
- both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (since 1 January 2023); Vice President Geraldo José
- Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a single consecutive term and additional terms after at least one term has elapsed); election last held on 2 October 2022 with runoff on 30 Octo
- ber 2022 (next to be held on 4 October 2026) election results: 2022: Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 48.4%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 43.2%, Simone Nassar TEBET (MDB) 4.2%, Ciro GOMES (PDT) 3%, other 1.2%; percent of vote in second round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 50.9%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 49.1% 2018: Jair BOLSONARO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 46%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 29.3%, Ciro GOMEZ (PDT) 12.5%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 4.8%, other 7.4%; percent of vote in second round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 55.1%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 44.9%
- Legislative Branch:
Description
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of: Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members each from 26 states and 3 from the federal district directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 8-year terms, with one-third and two-thirds of the membership elected alternately every 4 years) Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
- elections: Federal
- Senate - last held on 2 October 2022 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held on 4 October 2026 for two-thirds of the seats) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 2 October 2022 (next to be held on 4 October 2026)
- election results: Federal
- Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 13, Brazil Union 12, MBD 10, PSD 10, PT 9, Progressistas 7, Podemos 6, PSDB 4, Republicans 3, PDT 2, Cidadania 1, PSB 1, PSC 1, PROS 1, REDE 1;
Composition
- men 66, women 15, percent of women 18.5% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA
- seats by party - PL 99, PT 67, Brazil Union 59, PP 47, MDB 42, PSD 42, Republicans 41, PDT 17, PSB 14, PSDB 13, Podemos 12, PSOL 12, Avante 7, PCdoB 6, PSC 6, PV 6, Cidadania 5, Patriota 4, PROS 4, SD 4, NOVO 3, REDE 2, PTB 1;
Composition
men 423, women 90, percent of women 17.5%;
Note
total National Congress percent of women 17.7%
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): Supreme Federal Court or Supremo Tribunal Federal (
- consists of 11 justices) judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president and approved by the Federal Senate; justices appointed to
- serve until mandatory retirement at age 75 subordinate courts: Tribunal of the Union, Federal Appeals Court, Superior Court of Justice, Superior Electoral Court, regional federal courts; state court system
- Regions or States:
26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal) Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- Act (Agir) [Daniel TOURINHO] (formerly Christian Labor Party or PTC)
- Avante [Luis Henrique de Oliveira RESENDE] (formerly Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB) Brazil Union (União Brasil)
- Note: founded from a merger between the Democrats (DEM) and the Social Liberal Party (PSL) Brazilian Communist Party or PCB [Astrogildo PEREIRA] Brazilian Democratic Movement or MDB [Luiz Felipe Baleia TENUTO Rossi] Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Kassyo Santos RAMOS] Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Júlio Cezar FIDELIX da Cruz] Brazilian Labor Party or PTB Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Bruno Cavalcanti de ARAÚJO] Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Carlos Roberto SIQUEIRA de Barros] Christian Democracy or DC [José Maria EYMAEL] (formerly Christian Social Cidadania [Roberto João Pereira FREIRE] (formerly Popular Socialist Party or PPS) Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Luciana SANTOS] Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Ciro FERREIRA Gomes] Democratic Party or PSDC Democrats or DEM [Jose AGRIPINO] (formerly Liberal Front Party or PFL);
- Suffrage:
- voluntary between 16 to 18 years of age, over 70, and if illiterate
- compulsory between 18 to 70 years of age
- note - military conscripts by law cannot vote
- Citizenship Criteria:
- yes residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Brasília
- Capital - geographic coordinate
15 47 S, 47 55 W
- Capital Time Difference
UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Brazil has four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands
- Daylight Savings Time
+1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February
International role
- International Organization Participation:
AfDB (nonregional member), BIS, BRICS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, CPLP, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, LAS (observer), Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, PROSUR, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley BAGLEY (since 5 February 2023) embassy: SES - Avenida das Nações, Quadra 801, Lote 3, 70403-900 - Brasília, DF mailing address: 7500 Brasilia Place, Washington DC 20521-7500
telephone
[55] (61) 3312-7000
FAX
[55] (61) 3225-9136
Email address and website
- BrasilliaACS@state.gov
- https://br.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general
Recife, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo branch office(s): Belo Horizonte
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro VIOTTI (since 30 June 2023)
chancery
3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 238-2700
FAX
[1] (202) 238-2827
Email address and website
- ambassador.dc@itamaraty.gov.br
- https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-washington
consulate(s) general
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC