POLITICAL SYSTEM
General Information
The Federative Republic of Brazil is a federal presidential republic.
The supreme legislative body of Brazil is the bicameral National Congress.
Supreme leadership – President – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (took office on January 1, 2023).
A multi-party system functions, with 35 parties registered (as of 2025). The largest are the "Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB)" and the "Progressive Party (PP)".
Key policy directions are combating social inequality, stimulating economic growth, transitioning to a low-carbon development model, and achieving zero illegal deforestation by 2030.
Constitutional System
The Federative Republic of Brazil is a democratic legal state based on the principles of sovereignty, citizenship, human dignity, social values, free enterprise, and political pluralism. The FRB currently operates under the 1988 constitution with amendments from 1994 and 1997. The country consists of 26 states and the federal capital district of Brasilia.
Legislative power at the federal level belongs to the bicameral National Congress, which consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Both chambers have equal powers. A bill approved by parliament is sent to the President of the Republic for approval; in case of the head of state's refusal to approve a law, the congress can override the veto at a joint session of both chambers by a simple majority of votes of deputies and senators.
Executive power is exercised by the President and the Government he heads – the cabinet of ministers. The head of state's competence includes appointing and dismissing ministers, signing and publishing laws, issuing temporary acts, establishing diplomatic relations and signing international treaties, issuing decrees on the state of national defense and state of siege (these measures require approval by congress). The President is the supreme commander-in-chief and has the right, if necessary, to impose states of emergency and siege, declare war, grant amnesty or commute sentences, and submit development plans and budget projects to congress for consideration.
Advisory bodies operate under the president – the Council of the Republic (consisting of the vice president, chairmen of both chambers of congress, parliamentary leaders of the majority and opposition, the minister of justice, and six prominent citizens) and the National Defense Council (consisting of the vice president, chairmen of chambers, ministers of justice, foreign affairs, planning, and defense).
Congress has the right to remove the president from office. This requires two-thirds of the votes of members of the Chamber of Deputies (if the Federal Supreme Court accuses the president of committing a criminal offense) or senators (if the president fails to fulfill their duties).
Labor Relations
Labor relations are regulated in accordance with the 1988 Constitution and the Labor Code of the FRB, which establish such norms as working hours, ensuring safe working conditions, social payments and pension contributions, mandatory leave, etc.
The participation of trade unions in labor relations consists of representing workers' interests to the board of directors, improving relations between employees and employers, and coordinating workers' actions in case of dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs at the enterprise. For example, dismissal of any employee who has worked for more than one year must be agreed upon with the trade union; most employees have access to private health insurance programs provided by corporate employers and trade unions.
Brazil has been one of the countries participating in the International Labour Organization since its founding on June 28, 1919. By 2021, Brazil had ratified 98 ILO conventions. Thus, the labor legislation of the FRB generally complies with UN standards.
Trade Unions
According to Article 159 of the Brazilian Constitution, association in trade unions is free; the law regulates the procedure for their formation, their legal representation in concluding collective labor agreements, as well as the exercise of functions entrusted to them by state authority.
In 1985, President José Sarney signed a law on the organization of central trade union bodies. In 1990, several such organizations were founded. The leading role was played by the Unified Workers' Central of Brazil, closely associated with the Workers' Party (PT). Other major trade union associations are the General Union of Workers of Brazil, affiliated with the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and "Força Sindical".
According to the 1988 constitution, trade unions may include all workers, employers, and persons in free professions. Trade unions unite in local and regional federations and at the highest level in a national confederation, and are under careful state control. In addition, the country's constitution, which proclaimed a number of liberal provisions, including freedom to create new trade unions, abolished the subordination of trade unions to the ministry of labor, which acted as an arbitrator, and allowed reconciling the complex system of labor relations with organizational principles of trade union construction. At the same time, such principles as monopoly on representation, uniformity of trade union organizations, and preservation of regulatory functions by the system of arbitration courts on labor issues remained unchanged.