Country name:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local short form: Brasil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
Government type:
federative republic
Capital:
Brasilia
Administrative divisions:
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
Independence:
7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution:
5 October 1988
Legal system:
based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory
over 18 and under 70 years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1
January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
election results: in runoff election 27 October 2002, Luiz Inacio
LULA DA SILVA (PT) was elected with 61.3% of the vote; Jose SERRA
(PSDB) 38.7%
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 6 October
2002 (next to be held NA October 2006); runoff election held 27
October 2002
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
head of government: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1
January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the
Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from each
state or federal district elected according to the principle of
majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a
four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year
period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513
seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party PMBD 19, PFL 19, PT 14, PSDB 11, PDT 5, PSB 4, PL 3,
PTB 3, PPS 1, PSD 1, PPB 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - PT 91, PFL 84, PMDB 74, PSDB 71, PPB
49, PL 26, PTB 26, PSB 22, PDT 21, PPS 15, PCdoB 12, PRONA 6, PV 5,
other 11
elections: Federal Senate - last held 6 October 2002 for two-thirds
of the Senate (next to be held NA October 2006 for one-third of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 October 2002 (next to be
held NA October 2006)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed by the
president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice;
Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life)
Political parties and leaders:
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Michel TEMER];
Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Jose Carlos MARTINEZ]; Brazilian
Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Jose ANIBAL]; Brazilian
Socialist Party or PSB [Miguel ARRAES]; Brazilian Progressive Party
or PPB [Paulo Salim MALUF]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB
[Renato RABELLO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA];
Green Party or PV [leader NA]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jorge
BORNHAUSEN]; Liberal Party or PL [Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto];
National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Dr. Eneas CARNEIRO];
Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Senator Roberto FREIRE]; Social
Democratic Party or PSD [leader NA]; Worker's Party or PT [Jose
GENOINO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
left wing of the Catholic Church; Landless Worker's Movement; labor
unions allied to leftist Worker's Party
International organization participation:
AfDB, BIS, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur,
NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rubens Antonio BARBOSA; note -
Ambassador-Designate Roberto ABDENUR expected to arrive March 2004
FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, and San Francisco
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donna J. HRINAK
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal
Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
telephone: [55] (61) 312-7000
FAX: [55] (61) 225-9136
consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s): Recife
Flag description:
green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue
celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state
and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night
sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the
motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)