3 Questions
What are the three branches of the federal government in Brazil?
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
How many federal units does Brazil have?
27
What type of democracy does Brazil have?
Flawed democracy
Study Notes
- The federal government exercises control over the central government and is divided into three independent branches: executive, legislative and judicial.
- Executive power is exercised by the President, advised by a cabinet. Legislative power is vested upon the National Congress, a two-chamber legislature comprising the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Judicial power is exercised by the judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Federal Court, the Superior Court of Justice and other Superior Courts, the National Justice Council and the Regional Federal Courts.
- States are autonomous sub-national entities with their own governments that, together with the other federal units, form the Federative Republic of Brazil.
- Brazil is divided politically and administratively into 27 federal units, being 26 states and one federal district. The executive power is exercised by a governor elected to a four-year term. The judiciary is exercised by courts of first and second instance addressing the common justice. Each state has a unicameral legislature with deputies who vote on state laws. The Constitution of Brazil knows also two elements of direct democracy, stated in Article 14. The legislative assemblies supervise the activities of the Executive power of the states and municipalities. Municipalities are minor federal units of the Federative Republic of Brazil.
- Brazil has an unrestricted multiparty system with a large number of political parties. Some parties lack ideological consistency and it is common for congressmen to switch parties, weakening electoral coalitions. At same time, the high number of political parties makes the Executive need to gather alliances of different political parties must piece together diverse and often ideologically incoherent coalitions to pass legislation. Brazil was rated as a "flawed democracy" in 2019 and 2020 by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Test your knowledge about the structure and functioning of the federal government and political system in Brazil. This quiz covers the branches of government, the autonomy of states, political parties, and the democratic rating by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
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