President of Brazil

President of Brazil
Brazilian Presidential Standard
Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since 01 January 2003
Residence	Palácio da Alvorada
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Deodoro da Fonseca
Formation	15 November 1889
Website	presidencia.gov.br

Brazil

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The President of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The presidential system was established in 1889, upon the proclamation of the republic in a military coup d'état against the Emperor Pedro II. Since then, Brazil had six constitutions, two dictatorships and three democratic periods. During these democratic periods, voting has always been compulsory.

The current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party), elected in 2002 for the 2003–2006 term and then re-elected for the 2007–2010 term. He received the largest number of votes amongst all the elected presidents of Brazil up to this moment, scoring 56.7 million votes in the 2002 presidential elections and 58.2 million votes in the 2006 presidential elections. The next presidential elections are scheduled to take place on October 3rd, 2010.

General description

The Brazilian Constitution of 1988, along with several constitutional amendments, establishes the requirements, powers, and responsibilities of the president, as well as the term of office and method of election.

Duties and powers

As a presidential republic, Brazil grants significant powers to the President. He effectively controls the government, represents the country abroad, and appoints the Cabinet and, with the approval of the Senate, the judges for the Supreme Federal Tribunal. The president is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Presidents in Brazil also have significant lawmaking powers, exercised either by proposing laws to the National Congress, or else by using Medidas Provisórias (Provisional Measures), an instrument with the force of law that the President can enact in cases of urgency and necessity, except to make changes to some areas of Law (provisional measures cannot be used to create new taxes, to change criminal law, electoral law, etc). A Provisional Measure comes into effect immediately, before Congress votes on it, and remains in force for up to 60 days unless Congress votes to rescind it. If Congress, on the other hand, votes to approve the provisional measure, it becomes an actual law, with changes decided by the Legislative Branch. The provisional measure expires at the end of the 60 day period, or sooner, if rejected by one of the Houses of Congress.^[1].

Article 84 of the current Constitution, determines that the President shall have the exclusive power to:

1. appoint and dismiss the Ministers of State;
2. exercise, with the assistance of the Ministers of State, the higher management of the federal administration;
3. start the legislative procedure, in the manner and in the cases set forth in the Constitution;
4. sanction, promulgate and order the publication of laws, as well as to issue decrees and regulations for the true enforcement thereof;
5. veto bills, wholly or in part;
6. provide, by means of decree, on organization and structure of federal administration, in the cases where there is neither increase of expenses nor creation or extinction of public agencies; and extinction of offices or positions, when vacant;
7. maintain relations with foreign States and to accredit their diplomatic representatives;
8. conclude international treaties, conventions and acts, subject to the ratification of the National Congress;
9. decree the state of defense and the state of siege, in accordance with the constitional procedures that shall precede and authorize those emergency decrees;
10. decree and enforce federal intervention, in accordance with the constitutional procedures that shall precede and authorize such exceptional action;
11. upon the opening of the legislative session, send a government message and plan to the National Congress, describing the state of the nation and requesting the actions he deems necessary;
12. grant pardons and reduce sentences, after hearing the entities instituted by law, if necessary;
13. exercise the supreme command of the Armed Forces, appoint the commanders of Navy, Army and Air Force, promote general officers and to appoint them to the offices held exclusively by them;
14. appoint, after approval by the Senate, the Justices of the Supreme Federal Court and those of the superior courts, the Governors of the territories, the Attorney-General of the Republic, the President and the Directors of the Central Bank and other civil servants, when established by law;
15. appoint, with due regard for the provisions of article 73, the Justices of the Federal Court of Accounts;
16. appoint judges in the events established by this Constitution and the Advocate-General of the Union;
17. appoint members of the Council of the Republic, in accordance with article 89, VII;
18. summon and preside over the Council of the Republic and the National Defense Council;
19. declare war, in the event of foreign aggression, authorized by the National Congress or confirmed by it, whenever it occurs between legislative sessions and, under the same conditions, to decree full or partial national mobilization;
20. make peace, authorized or confirmed by the National Congress;
21. award decorations and honorary distinctions;
22. permit, in the cases set forth by supplementary law, foreign forces to pass through the national territory, or to remain temporarily therein;
23. submit to the National Congress the pluriannual plan, the bill of budgetary directives and the budget proposals set forth in this Constitution;
24. render, each year, accounts to the National Congress concerning the previous fiscal year, within sixty days of the opening of the legislative session;
25. fill and abolish federal government positions, as set forth by law;
26. issue provisional measures, with force of law, according to article 62;
27. perform other duties set forth in the Constitution.

Requirements to hold office

According to the 1988 Constitution, the president must be a native-born citizen of Brazil, be at least 35 years of age, be a resident in Brazil, be an elector, have all the electoral rights, and be inscribed in a political party (write-in candidates are forbidden).

Term of office

Currently the president serves his second four-year term without the possibility of reelection for another term sequentially. The reelection for executive posts has existed since 1997, when the Amendment nº 16 was passed.

Privileges of office

While in office, the president is entitled to use the official residences. The Palácio da Alvorada is used as the main residence, the Granja do Torto as a weekend retreat in the Capital, the Palácio Rio Negro as a retreat in Rio de Janeiro, and the Palácio do Planalto as his workplace.

The president is also entitled a personal staff, consisting of medical and security personnel, secretaries and assistants. Furthermore, the president has at his disposal two custom-built aircraft, including the Brazilian Air Force One – designed to allow the president to fully conduct his duties from the air, along with helicopters and official vehicles.

Former presidents

As of December 2009, there are four living former presidents. The most recent president to die was João Figueiredo (1979–1985), on 24 December 1999.

The following privileges are guaranteed to former Presidents by law:

• Life-long pension (equivalent to the salary of the ministers of the Supreme Federal Tribunal)
• Permanent security protection (by the Presidential Guard – Batalhão da Guarda Presidencial)
• The use of two official vehicles (for life)
• Repository funding for a Presidential library
• Life-long monthly pension for widows and daughters of ex-presidents

Office-holders

1st Deodoro da Fonseca 1889–1891	2nd Floriano Peixoto 1891–1894	3rd Prudente de Morais 1894–1898	4th Campos Sales 1898–1902
5th Rodrigues Alves 1902–1906	6th Afonso Pena 1906–1909	7th Nilo Peçanha 1909–1910	8th Hermes da Fonseca 1910–1914
9th Venceslau Brás 1914–1918	· Rodrigues Alves Did not take office	10th Delfim Moreira 1918–1919	11th Epitácio Pessoa 1919–1922
12th Artur Bernardes 1922–1926	13th Washington Luís 1926–1930	· Júlio Prestes Did not take office	Interim government Military Junta 1930
14th Getúlio Vargas 1930–1945	15th José Linhares 1945–1946	16th Gaspar Dutra 1946–1951	17th Getúlio Vargas 1951–1954
18th Café Filho 1954–1955	19th Carlos Luz 1955	20th Nereu Ramos 1955–1956	21st Juscelino Kubitschek 1956–1961
22nd Jânio Quadros 1961	23rd Ranieri Mazzilli 1961	24th João Goulart 1961–1964	25th Ranieri Mazzilli 1964
26th Castelo Branco 1964–1967	27th Costa e Silva 1967–1969	· Military Junta 1969	28th Emílio Médici 1969–1974
29th Ernesto Geisel 1974–1979	30th João Figueiredo 1979–1985	· Tancredo Neves Did not take office	31st José Sarney 1985–1990
32nd Fernando Collor 1990–1992	33rd Itamar Franco 1992–1995	34th Fernando Henrique Cardoso 1995–2003	35th Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva 2003–– in office

Latest election

See also

• List of Presidents of Brazil
• Brazilian presidential inauguration
• Brazilian General Elections, 2006
• Politics of Brazil
• Cabinet of Brazil
• Vice-President of Brazil
• FAB Uno

References

• "Galeria dos Presidentes - informações históricas" (in Portuguese). Presidência da República. http://www.presidencia.gov.br/info_historicas/galeria_pres. Retrieved 2007-04-25. 
• "Federal Constitution of 1988" (in Portuguese). Presidência da República. http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Constituicao/Constituiçao.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-25. 
• "New Air Force One for President Lula". MercoPress. http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=3138&formato=html. Retrieved 2006-07-06. 
• "Centro de Informação de Acervos dos Presidentes da República" (in Portuguese). Arquivo Nacional. http://www.arquivonacional.gov.br/memoria/crapp_site/default.asp. Retrieved 2007-04-25. 

External links

• Official website of the Presidency of the Republic (Portuguese)
• Official website of the National Archives of Brazil, featuring detailed information on every presidential administration (Portuguese)
• Museum of the Republic (Portuguese)
• Presidents of Brazil 1889-2006

1. ↑ Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil, art. 62 as amended by Constitutional Amendment n. 32

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Presidents of Brazil Old republic Deodoro da Fonseca · Floriano Peixoto · Prudente de Morais · Campos Sales · Rodrigues Alves · Afonso Pena · Nilo Peçanha · Hermes da Fonseca · Venceslau Brás · Delfim Moreira · Epitácio Pessoa · Artur Bernardes · Washington Luís · Júlio Prestes Vargas era Provisional Military Junta · Getúlio Vargas · José Linhares Republic of 46 Eurico Gaspar Dutra · Getúlio Vargas · João Café Filho · Carlos Luz · Nereu Ramos · Juscelino Kubitschek · Jânio Quadros · Ranieri Mazzilli · João Goulart Military period Humberto Castello Branco · Artur da Costa e Silva · Military Junta · Emílio Garrastazu Médici · Ernesto Geisel · João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo New republic Tancredo Neves · José Sarney · Fernando Collor de Mello · Itamar Franco · Fernando Henrique Cardoso · Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva · Dilma Rousseff (Elect)