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Constitution of 5 October 1988 · Federal presidential republic

The Union, the states,
the municipalities.

Brazil is a federation of three tiers, each with its own elected executive and legislature: the Union, 26 states and the Federal District, and 5.569 municipalities (CF arts. 1, 18). Voters elect a President, 27 governors and 5.569 mayors directly. Courts, prosecutors and auditors are appointed by the elected, not elected themselves. There is no elected tier below the municipality.

Interactive · who chooses whom

Top to root,
level by level.

Open a level and pick a body. Its panel shows who elects or appoints it, which bodies it chooses in turn, its term, its powers and the article of the Constitution; the related bodies light up in the diagram.

Level 1 The electorate 158,7 million registered voters in 2026 elect every executive and legislature directly.
Level 2 The Union Federal executive, Congress, the courts and the oversight bodies.
Level 3 26 states and the Federal District Each state has its own constitution, governor, assembly and courts.
Level 4 5.569 municipalities Members of the federation in their own right, each under its own organic law.
Level 5 Below the municipality No elected tier: districts and sub-prefectures are administrative units of the municipality.

Title IV, chapter II · arts. 76–91

The President
heads state and government.

The President and Vice-President are elected together for four years, by an absolute majority of valid votes (blank and null excluded); if nobody has one, the top two meet in a second round on the last Sunday of October (art. 77). One consecutive re-election is allowed (art. 14 §5, since EC 16/1997). A candidate must be a Brazilian-born citizen of at least 35 (arts. 12 §3, 14 §3). There is no prime minister and no confidence vote: ministers serve at the President's pleasure (art. 84 I).

On 25 October 2026 Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected with 51,79% of valid votes against 48,21% for Flávio Bolsonaro, with Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) as Vice-President. The new term begins on 5 January 2027, the first inauguration on that date: EC 111/2021 moved it from 1 January (art. 82).

  • President of the Republic Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva PT · since 1 Jan 2023 ; term to 5 Jan 2027, re-elected to 2031
  • Vice-President of the Republic Geraldo Alckmin PSB · since 1 Jan 2023 ; term to 5 Jan 2027, re-elected to 2031

Arts. 85–86 · Impeachment

Two-thirds to admit,
two-thirds to convict.

Impeachment of the President

The Chamber authorises, the Senate tries

Brazil has removed two presidents since 1988 by this route.

Step 1 of 5 · Any citizen

Complaint

Anyone may file a complaint of a crime of responsibility (crime de responsabilidade: acts against the Constitution, the budget law, probity in administration, the free exercise of the other powers, art. 85, defined by Lei 1.079/1950). The President of the Chamber decides alone whether to accept it.

1992

Fernando Collor

Corruption uncovered by a parliamentary inquiry (the PC Farias scheme).

Collor resigned on 29 December as the Senate trial opened; the Senate went on and convicted him, barring him from public office for eight years. Vice-President Itamar Franco completed the term.

Agência Senado ↗

2016

Dilma Rousseff

Budget offences: decrees opening credit without Congress and delayed payments to state banks (pedaladas fiscais).

In a separate vote the Senate did not bar her from office (42 for, short of 54). Vice-President Michel Temer completed the term.

Agência Senado ↗

Art. 87 · The cabinet

38 ministers,
all appointed.

Ministers must be Brazilians over 21 in full possession of their political rights; they countersign the President's acts in their area (art. 87). Lula's cabinet as of 5 November 2026, including the ministers of the Presidency, the Advogado-Geral and the Comptroller. Many changed in March and April 2026, when ministers who ran for office had to leave six months before the vote.

Photos: Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 (7 portraits) · Miriam Belchior — Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br · Guilherme Boulos — Bruno Spada/Câmara dos Deputados, CC BY 3.0 · José Guimarães — José Cruz/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br · Sidônio Palmeira — Lula Oficial, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marcos Antonio Amaro dos Santos — Palácio do Planalto, CC BY 2.0 · José Múcio — Ministério da Defesa, CC BY 2.0 · Márcio Elias Rosa — José Francisco Pacóla, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Leonardo Barchini — Fábio Nakakura, CC BY 3.0 · Wellington César Lima e Silva — Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil, CC BY 2.0 · Alexandre Silveira — Agência Senado from Brasilia, Brazil, CC BY 2.0 · Márcia Lopes — José Cruz/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br · Wolney Queiroz — Lula Oficial, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mauro Vieira — Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alexandre Padilha — Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Luiz Marinho — Agência Senado, CC BY 2.0 · George Santoro — José Ivo Neto, CC BY-SA 4.0 . Others public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Title IV, chapter I · arts. 44–75

The National Congress:
594 members, two houses.

In the current (57th) legislature 89 of 513 deputies and 15 of 81 senators are women. Each house elects its presiding board for two years, with no re-election to the same post within the legislature (art. 57 §4). Every deputy and senator, now and from February 2027 →

What it takes in each house
NormChamber (513)Senate (81)VotesSanction or vetoArticle
Ordinary law
lei ordinária		 majority of votes, 257 present majority of votes, 41 present 1 yes art. 47
Complementary law
lei complementar		 257 yes 41 yes 1 yes art. 69
Constitutional amendment
emenda constitucional (PEC)		 308 yes 49 yes 2 in each house no: promulgated by Congress art. 60
Provisional measure
medida provisória		 as an ordinary law as an ordinary law 1 if the text was amended art. 62
Veto override
derrubada de veto		 257 yes 41 yes 1, joint session — art. 66 §4
Impeachment
impeachment		 342 to admit 54 to convict 1 each — art. 86

Simulator

Pass a law,
amend the Constitution.

Simulator · arts. 47, 60, 62, 66, 69

Will it pass Congress?

Majorities: 257 of 513 deputies and 41 of 81 senators. Amendments: 308 and 49, twice in each house.

Kind of norm

    Title IV, chapter III · The judiciary

    Eleven seats
    on the Supreme Court.

    The Supremo Tribunal Federal guards the Constitution: it rules on direct actions of unconstitutionality, tries the President, members of Congress and ministers for common crimes, and has the last word on constitutional appeals (art. 102). Its eleven justices are named by the President after approval by an absolute majority of the Senate, from citizens aged 35 to 70 of notable legal knowledge and spotless reputation (art. 101), and serve until compulsory retirement at 75 (art. 40 §1 II, EC 88/2015). The court elects its president for two years, by convention the most senior justice who has not yet held the post.

    10 justices sit today; one seat is vacant after Luís Roberto Barroso's early retirement in October 2025 (press reports). The STF's president is Edson Fachin, since 29 Sept 2025.

    • Gilmar Mendes since 20 Jun 2002 Appointed by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 2002
    • Cármen Lúcia since 21 Jun 2006 Appointed by Lula, 2006
    • Dias Toffoli since 23 Oct 2009 Appointed by Lula, 2009
    • Luiz Fux since 3 Mar 2011 Appointed by Dilma Rousseff, 2011
    • Edson Fachin since 16 Jun 2015 Appointed by Dilma Rousseff, 2015
    • Alexandre de Moraes since 22 Mar 2017 Appointed by Michel Temer, 2017
    • Nunes Marques since 5 Nov 2020 Appointed by Jair Bolsonaro, 2020
    • André Mendonça since 16 Dec 2021 Appointed by Jair Bolsonaro, 2021
    • Cristiano Zanin since 3 Aug 2023 Appointed by Lula, 2023
    • Flávio Dino since 22 Feb 2024 Appointed by Lula, 2024
    • Vacant seatpending a nomination and Senate approval

    • Superior Court of Justice · 33

      STJ

      The last word on federal law outside constitutional questions; its justices come one-third from federal appeal judges, one-third from state appeal judges and one-third from lawyers and prosecutors, named by the President after Senate approval (arts. 104–105).

      CF art. 104 ↗

    • Superior Labour Court · 27

      TST

      Heads the labour justice: 24 regional labour courts and the labour judges (arts. 111–116).

      CF art. 111 ↗

    • Superior Military Court · 15

      STM

      Ten generals, admirals and air officers and five civilians, all named by the President with Senate approval; tries military crimes (arts. 122–124).

      CF art. 123 ↗

    • Federal courts

      TRF1–TRF6

      Six federal regional courts above the federal judges hear cases involving the Union and federal crimes (arts. 106–110).

      CF art. 106 ↗

    • State courts

      Tribunais de Justiça

      Each state organises its own justice; most cases start and end there. A fifth of each court's seats go to lawyers and prosecutors (arts. 94, 125).

      CF art. 125 ↗

    • National Council of Justice · 15

      CNJ

      Created by EC 45/2004 to oversee the judiciary's administration, budget and the judges' discipline, chaired by the President of the STF; it does not judge cases (art. 103-B).

      CF art. 103 ↗

    Photos: Gilmar Mendes — Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br · Cármen Lúcia — Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br · Dias Toffoli — Nelson Jr., Attribution · Edson Fachin — Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br · Alexandre de Moraes — Isac Nóbrega, CC BY 2.0 · André Mendonça — Rosinei Coutinho/STF, Attribution · Flávio Dino — Gustavo Moreno/STF, Attribution . Others public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

    Arts. 118–121 · The electoral justice

    Courts that run
    the elections.

    Brazil's elections are run by a branch of the judiciary created in 1932: the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, a Tribunal Regional Eleitoral in each state and the Federal District, electoral judges in each zone and the juntas eleitorais that count (art. 118). It registers voters, parties and candidates, runs the urnas and the count, certifies winners (diplomação), and judges electoral disputes, including those that remove a mandate or make a politician ineligible. It also writes binding resolutions for each election (Código Eleitoral art. 23 IX).

    The TSE has no judges of its own. Its seven members are borrowed for two-year terms, renewable once (art. 119, 121 §2):

    • 3justices of the STF, elected by the STF
      the TSE's president and vice-president come from them
    • 2justices of the STJ, elected by the STJ
      one is the Corregedor-Geral Eleitoral
    • 2lawyers of notable legal knowledge
      named by the President from six put forward by the STF

    Each TRE has seven members on the same pattern: two state appeal judges and two state judges chosen by the state court, one federal judge, and two lawyers named by the President (art. 120). Electoral judges are state judges designated by the TRE; each zone is divided into seções, the polling stations. How to vote →

    • President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Motta REPUBLICANOS · since 1 Feb 2025 Elected by the Chamber from among its members for a 2-year term (Feb 2025–Feb 2027); no re-election within the same legislature
    • President of the Federal Senate (and of Congress) Davi Alcolumbre UNIÃO · since 1 Feb 2025 Elected by the Senate from among its members for a 2-year term (Feb 2025–Feb 2027); no re-election within the same legislature
    • President of the Supreme Federal Court Edson Fachin since 29 Sept 2025 Elected by the Court's justices for a 2-year term (2025–2027), by seniority rotation; also presides over the CNJ
    • President of the Superior Court of Justice Luis Felipe Salomão since 19 Aug 2026 Elected by the STJ's plenary for a 2-year term (2026–2028)
    • President of the Superior Electoral Court Nunes Marques since 12 May 2026 Elected by the TSE from among its three STF justices for a 2-year term; André Mendonça is vice-president
    • Prosecutor General of the Republic Paulo Gonet since 18 Dec 2023 Appointed by the President from career federal prosecutors and confirmed by the Senate for a 2-year term; reappointed from 19 Dec 2025
    • President of the Federal Court of Accounts Vital do Rêgo since 1 Jan 2025 Elected by the TCU's ministers for a 1-year term, renewable once (re-elected for 2026)
    • Governor of the Central Bank Gabriel Galípolo since 1 Jan 2025 Nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate; fixed 4-year term (2025–2028) under the Central Bank autonomy law (LC 179/2021)

    Photos: Hugo Motta — Lula Oficial, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Davi Alcolumbre — Agencia Senado, Attribution · Edson Fachin — Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br · Vital do Rêgo — Janine Moraes, Attribution · Gabriel Galípolo — Agência Senado, CC BY 2.0 . Others public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

    Title IV, chapter IV · Functions essential to justice

    Prosecutors, auditors
    and defenders.

    Title III, chapter III · arts. 25–28, 32

    26 states
    and the Federal District.

    Governors now and from 6 January 2027, with each state's seats
    StateGovernor nowGovernor-elect (2027–2031)Federal deputiesAssemblyMunicipalities
    Acre AC Mailza Assis
    PP · since 2 Apr 2026     		Mailza Assis
    PP · re-elected     		8 24 22
    Alagoas AL Paulo Dantas
    MDB · since 15 May 2022     		JHC
    PSDB     		9 27 102
    Amazonas AM Roberto Cidade
    UNIÃO · since 4 Apr 2026     		Omar Aziz
    PSD     		8 24 62
    Amapá AP Clécio Luís
    UNIÃO · since 1 Jan 2023     		Dr. Furlan
    PSD     		8 24 16
    Bahia BA Jerônimo Rodrigues
    PT · since 1 Jan 2023     		Jerônimo Rodrigues
    PT · re-elected     		39 63 417
    Ceará CE Elmano de Freitas
    PT · since 1 Jan 2023     		Elmano de Freitas
    PT · re-elected     		22 46 184
    Distrito Federal DF Celina Leão
    PP · since 30 Mar 2026     		Celina Leão
    PP · re-elected     		8 24 —
    Espírito Santo ES Ricardo Ferraço
    MDB · since 2 Apr 2026     		Lorenzo Pazolini
    REPUBLICANOS     		10 30 78
    Goiás GO Daniel Vilela
    MDB · since 31 Mar 2026     		Daniel Vilela
    MDB · re-elected     		17 41 246
    Maranhão MA Carlos Brandão
    MDB · since 2 Apr 2022     		Eduardo Braide
    PSD     		18 42 217
    Minas Gerais MG Mateus Simões
    PSD · since 22 Mar 2026     		Cleitinho Azevedo
    REPUBLICANOS     		53 77 853
    Mato Grosso do Sul MS Eduardo Riedel
    PP · since 1 Jan 2023     		Eduardo Riedel
    PP · re-elected     		8 24 79
    Mato Grosso MT Otaviano Pivetta
    REPUBLICANOS · since 31 Mar 2026     		Otaviano Pivetta
    REPUBLICANOS · re-elected     		8 24 142
    Pará PA Hana Ghassan
    MDB · since 2 Apr 2026     		Dr. Daniel Santos
    PODE     		17 41 144
    Paraíba PB Lucas Ribeiro
    PP · since 2 Apr 2026     		Lucas Ribeiro
    PP · re-elected     		12 36 223
    Pernambuco PE Raquel Lyra
    PSD · since 1 Jan 2023     		Raquel Lyra
    PSD · re-elected     		25 49 185
    Piauí PI Rafael Fonteles
    PT · since 1 Jan 2023     		Rafael Fonteles
    PT · re-elected     		10 30 224
    Paraná PR Ratinho Júnior
    PSD · since 1 Jan 2019     		Sergio Moro
    PL     		30 54 399
    Rio de Janeiro RJ Ricardo Couto
    no party · acting · since 23 Mar 2026     		Douglas Ruas
    PL     		46 70 92
    Rio Grande do Norte RN Fátima Bezerra
    PT · since 1 Jan 2019     		Cadu Xavier
    PT     		8 24 167
    Rondônia RO Marcos Rocha
    PSD · since 1 Jan 2019     		Marcos Rogério
    PL     		8 24 52
    Roraima RR Soldado Sampaio
    REPUBLICANOS · acting · since 30 Apr 2026     		Arthur Henrique
    PL     		8 24 15
    Rio Grande do Sul RS Eduardo Leite
    PSD · since 1 Jan 2023     		Luciano Zucco
    PL     		31 55 497
    Santa Catarina SC Jorginho Mello
    PL · since 1 Jan 2023     		Jorginho Mello
    PL · re-elected     		16 40 295
    Sergipe SE Fábio Mitidieri
    PSD · since 1 Jan 2023     		Fábio Mitidieri
    PSD · re-elected     		8 24 75
    São Paulo SP Tarcísio de Freitas
    REPUBLICANOS · since 1 Jan 2023     		Tarcísio de Freitas
    REPUBLICANOS · re-elected     		70 94 645
    Tocantins TO Wanderlei Barbosa
    REPUBLICANOS · since 11 Mar 2022     		Vicentinho Júnior
    PSDB     		8 24 139

    Many governors in office left in early April 2026 to run for other posts, six months before the vote (art. 14 §6), so their deputies or the next in line serve out the term. Names of governors-elect are as on the ballot. The municipality count is IBGE's and includes Fernando de Noronha's state district with Pernambuco's.

    Photo credits · 36 photos Mailza Assis — Roque de Sá/Agência Senado, CC BY 2.0 · Paulo Dantas — Assembleia legislativa de Alagoas, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Clécio Luís — Governo do Amapá, CC BY 3.0 · Jerônimo Rodrigues — Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação from Brasília - DF, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 · Ricardo Ferraço — Pedro França/Agência Senado, Attribution · Daniel Vilela — MDB Nacional, CC BY 2.0 · Carlos Brandão — Governo do Maranhão, CC BY 4.0 · Mateus Simões — Jonas Pereira/Agência Senado, CC BY 2.0 · Eduardo Riedel — Governo de Mato Grosso do Sul, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Otaviano Pivetta — Banco de Dados Abertos do Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE), CC BY 4.0 · Lucas Ribeiro — Ascomlr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Raquel Lyra — Palácio do Planalto from Brasilia, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 · Rafael Fonteles — Ipea, CC BY 2.0 · Ricardo Couto — Ricardo Stuckert/PR, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fátima Bezerra — Agência Brasília from Brasília, Brasil, CC BY 2.0 · Marcos Rocha — Luis Macedo/Câmara dos Deputados, CC BY 3.0 · Soldado Sampaio — Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de Roraima, CC BY 4.0 · Eduardo Leite — Governo RS, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fábio Mitidieri — Governo do Sergipe, CC BY 2.0 · Tarcísio de Freitas — Ciete Silvério/Governo do Estado de SP, CC BY 2.0 · Wanderlei Barbosa — Marcos Oliveira/Agência Senado, CC BY 2.0 · JHC — Lisi Santos, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Omar Aziz — Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br · Dr. Furlan — Portal de Dados Abertos do Tribunal Superior Eleitoral do Brasil (TSE), CC BY 4.0 · Lorenzo Pazolini — Portal de Dados Abertos do Tribunal Superior Eleitoral do Brasil (TSE), CC BY 4.0 · Eduardo Braide — Portal de Dados Abertos do Tribunal Superior Eleitoral do Brasil (TSE), CC BY 4.0 · Cleitinho Azevedo — Thiagogontt, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Douglas Ruas — TV ALERJ, CC BY 3.0 · Marcos Rogério — Agência Senado, Attribution · Arthur Henrique — Portal de Dados Abertos do Tribunal Superior Eleitoral do Brasil (TSE), CC BY 4.0 · Luciano Zucco — Pablo Valadares / Câmara dos Deputados, CC BY 3.0 · Vicentinho Júnior — Gustavo Lima, CC BY 3.0 . Others public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

    Arts. 29–31 · Local government

    5.569 mayors,
    5.569 councils.

    Municipalities are members of the federation in their own right (art. 18), governed by an organic law adopted by two-thirds of the council (art. 29). They elect a mayor and vice-mayor (prefeito, vice-prefeito) and a council of vereadores, all for four years, in municipal elections two years apart from the general ones; the next are on 1 October 2028.

    A mayor is elected by an absolute majority with a second round only in municipalities of more than 200.000 registered electors; elsewhere the most-voted candidate wins in a single round (art. 29 II). Councillors are elected by open-list proportional representation across the whole municipality: there are no wards.

    Municipalities run pre-schools and primary schools and basic health care with federal and state help, urban transport, land use, and levy the property tax (IPTU) and the services tax (ISS) (arts. 30, 156). There are no municipal courts; only São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro keep their own courts of accounts, and new ones are forbidden (art. 31 §4).

    17 councillors at most

    1. 9 · up to 15.000
    2. 11 · up to 30.000
    3. 13 · up to 50.000
    4. 15 · up to 80.000
    5. 17 · up to 120.000
    6. 19 · up to 160.000
    7. 21 · up to 300.000
    8. 23 · up to 450.000
    9. 25 · up to 600.000
    10. 27 · up to 750.000
    11. 29 · up to 900.000
    12. 31 · up to 1.050.000
    13. 33 · up to 1.200.000
    14. 35 · up to 1.350.000
    15. 37 · up to 1.500.000
    16. 39 · up to 1.800.000
    17. 41 · up to 2.400.000
    18. 43 · up to 3.000.000
    19. 45 · up to 4.000.000
    20. 47 · up to 5.000.000
    21. 49 · up to 6.000.000
    22. 51 · up to 7.000.000
    23. 53 · up to 8.000.000
    24. 55 · over 8.000.000

    Each bar is a population band, from 9 seats (up to 15.000 inhabitants) to 55 (over 8 million). The ceiling is the Constitution's; each council sets its size in the municipality's organic law.

    Below the municipality

    No elected tier
    below the city hall.

    The municipality is the root of the federation. What lies inside it is administration, not government: nothing below it has its own legislature, budget or taxes. Two exceptions of a kind, and one thing that is often taken for a tier but is not.

    Office-holders as of 5 Nov 2026. The governing bodies' official pages (planalto.gov.br, tse.jus.br) refuse automated clients, so some holders were confirmed from Wikidata and the press; the Constitution's text was read from the Câmara's consolidated mirror.