Brazil Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Federative Republic of Brazil

Type: federal republic; democratically elected president since March 1985

Capital: Brasilia

Political subdivisions. 22 states, 4 territories, 1 federal district (Brasilia)

Legal system based on Latin codes; dual system of courts, state and federal; constitution adopted in 1967 and extensively amended in 1969; has not accepted compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September

Branches: strong executive with very broad powers, bicameral legislature (National Congress—Senate, Chamber of Deputies; powers of the two bodies are growing); 11-man Supreme Court

Government leader: Jose SARNEY Costa, President (since April 1985)

Suffrage: compulsory over age 18

Elections: Tancredo Neves indirectly elected by an electoral college composed of members of congress and delegates from the state legislatures, ending 20 years of military rule; died before assuming office; municipal elections held November 1985; congressional and gubernatorial elections scheduled for November 1986

Political parties and leaders. Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Ulysses Guimaraes, president; Liberal Front Party of President Sarney’s government coalition, Jorge Bornhausen, president; other parties—Workers Party (PT), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Democratic Labor Party (PDT), and Democratic Social Party (PDS); Communist parties legalized in March 1985—Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) and Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB)

Voting strength: (November 1982 federal and state elections) 37% then progovernment PDS; 63% divided among four opposition parties (PMDB, PT, PTB, and PDT)

Communists: 6,00, less than 1,000 mill tants

Other political or pressure groups· left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Worker’s Party were critical of military government’s social and economic policies

Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, 1DB—Inter-American Development Bank IFAD, IFC, 1HO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, 1PU, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, OAS, PAHO, SEL.A, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO WMO, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Brazil on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Brazil 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Brazil 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.