Politics

Executive: It is exercised by the President both head of state and head of government. The president is popularly elected for a term of four years and may be re-elected for a further period of another four years.

Legislative: It is exercised by the National Congress, which is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate consists of 81 members, popularly elected for a term of eight years. Every state of the Federation (26estados and the Federal District) has the same representation, with three senators each. The House of Representatives, in turn, consists of 513 deputies who are elected through proportional vote and exercise their office for four years.

Judicial: The set of public bodies to which the Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988 assigns the judicial function, such as the Supreme Court, the National Council of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, among others.

Political Situation

The President Dilma, elected in 2010 in a runoff against José Serra of the PSDB, had 56.05% of the vote. His stay in the presidency is expected until January 1, 2015. If compete for re-election and exit victorious, Dilma can still extend his term for another four years.

With regard to the economy, their management is characterized by a high inflation rate and the interest rate by an increase in gross domestic product (GDP), which grew 2.7% in the first year of the Dilma government, and cuts in federal budget.

As for Brazil’s foreign policy, Dilma took position changes relative to the Lula government to enter the country on a world stage post Arab Spring and European crisis.

The President’s approval rating is a leading sector in his government. In April 2012, Dilma management reached 64% approval of the population, according to research released by Datafolha.