National Congress of Brazil

National Congress Congresso Nacional
55th Legislature of the National Congress
Coat of arms of Brazil
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Federal Senate Chamber of Deputies
History
Founded	May 6, 1826 (1826-05-06)
New session started	February 2, 2016 (2016-02-02)
Leadership
President of the Federal Senate	Renan Calheiros, PMDB Since February 1, 2013
President of the Chamber of Deputies	Rodrigo Maia, DEM Since July 14, 2016
Structure
Seats	594 members: 81 senators 513 deputies

Federal Senate political groups	Government (52) PMDB (18) Government Support Bloc (14) PT (11) PDT (3) Progressive Democracy Bloc (10) PP (6) PSD (4) Union and Strength Bloc (10) PR (4) PTB (3) PSC (1) PRB (1) PTC (1) Minority (29) Opposition Bloc (16) PSDB (11) DEM (4) PV (1) Socialism and Democracy Bloc (10) PSB (7), non-aligned PPS (1), opposition PCdoB (1), government REDE (1), non-aligned No party (3)

Chamber of Deputies political groups	Government (289) PP, PTB, PSC Bloc (74) PP (47) PTB (19) PSC (8) PMDB, PEN Bloc (71) PMDB (68) PEN (3) PT (57) PR (40) PDT (19) PTN, PTdoB, PSL Bloc (18) PTN (13) PTdoB (3) PSL (2) PCdoB (10) Minority (224) PSDB (51) PSD (36) PSB (31) DEM (29) PRB (22) SD (14) PPS (9) PHS (7) PV (7) PROS (6) PSOL (6) REDE (4) PMB (1) No party (1)
Elections
Federal Senate voting system	Plurality voting, alternating every four years between single-member elections (FPTP) and dual-member elections (Block voting)
Chamber of Deputies voting system	Open list proportional representation
Last general election	October 5, 2014
Next general election	October 7, 2018
Meeting place

National Congress building Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
Website
Federal Senate Chamber of Deputies

The National Congress (Portuguese: Congresso Nacional) is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government. Unlike the state Legislative Assemblies and Municipal Chambers, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate (the upper house) and the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house). The Congress meets annually in its Brasília seat from 2 February to 27 July and from 1 August to 22 December.

The Senate represents the 26 states and the Federal District. Each state and the Federal District has a representation of three Senators, who are elected by popular ballot for a term of eight years. Every four years, renewal of either one third or two-thirds of the Senate (and of the delegations of the States and the Federal District) takes place.

The Chamber of Deputies represents the people of each state, and its members are elected for a four-year term by a proportional representation. Seats are allotted proportionally according to each state's population, with each state eligible for a minimum of 8 seats (least populous) and a maximum of 70 seats (most populous). Unlike the Senate, the whole of the Chamber of Deputies is renewed every four years.

Until recently it was common for politicians to switch parties and the proportion of congressional seats held by each party would often change. However, a decision of the Supreme Federal Court has ruled that the seats belong to the parties and not to the politicians, and that one can only change parties and retain his seat in a very limited set of cases. Consequently, politicians who abandon the party for which they were elected now face the loss of their Congressional seat.

Each house of the Brazilian Congress elects its President and the other members of its directing board from among its members.

The President of the Senate (currently Senator Renan Calheiros) is ex officio the President of the National Congress, and in that capacity summons and presides over joint sessions, as well as over the joint services of both Houses. The most recent President of the Chamber was Eduardo Cunha until his suspension by Brazil's Supreme Court on 5 May 2016 due to allegations that he attempted to intimidate members of Congress. He was replaced by Waldir Maranhão (Acting). The President of the Chamber is second in the presidential line of succession while the President of the Senate (and of Congress) is third.

Houses

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Federal Senate

The Federal Senate (Portuguese: Senado Federal) is the upper house of the National Congress. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired in United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States Senate.

Currently, the Senate comprises 81 seats. Three Senators from each of the 26 states and three Senators from the Federal District are elected on a majority basis to serve eight-year terms. Elections are staggered so that two-thirds of the upper house is up for election at one time and the remaining one-third four years later. When one seat is up for election in each State, each voter casts one vote for the Senate; when two seats are up for election, each voter casts two votes, and the voter cannot give his two votes for the same candidate, but, in elections for the renewal of two-thirds of the Senate, each party can present two candidates for election. The candidate in each State and the Federal District (or the first two candidates, when two thirds of the seats are up for election) who achieve the greatest plurality of votes are elected.

Chamber of Deputies

The Chamber of Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados) is the lower house of the National Congress, it is composed of 513 federal deputies, who are elected by a proportional representation of votes to serve a four-year term. Seats are allotted proportionally according to each state's population, with each state eligible for a minimum of 8 seats (least populous) and a maximum of 70 seats (most populous).

In 2010, 22 out of the country's 27 political parties were able to elect at least one representative in the Chamber, while fifteen of them were able to elect at least one Senator.

See the Latest election section for election results table.

The building

In early 1900s, the Brazilian National Congress happened to be in separate buildings. The Senate was located near Railway Central Station, beside the Republica Square, at Moncorvo Filho Street, where there is today a Federal University of Rio de Janeiro students' center. The Federal Chamber of Deputies was located at Misericórdia Street, which would later be the location of the State of Rio de Janeiro's local Chamber of Deputies. From the 1930s to early 1960s, the Senate occupied the Monroe Palace, which was demolished in the 1970s to allow the construction of the subway Cinelândia station. The Federal Chamber of Deputies moved to Brasília in early 1960s as well, but for a couple of years temporarily occupied a building near the Municipal Theater.

Since the 1960s, the National Congress has been located in Brasília. As with most of the city's government buildings, the National Congress building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the modern Brazilian style.

The semi-sphere on the left is the seat of the Senate, and the semi-sphere on the right is the seat of the Chamber of the Deputies. Between them are two vertical office towers. The Congress also occupies other surrounding office buildings, some of them interconnected by a tunnel.

The building is located in the middle of the Monumental Axis, main street of Brasília. In front of it there is a large lawn where demonstrations take place. At the back of it, is the Praça dos Três Poderes (Three Powers Plaza), where lies the Palácio do Planalto and the Supreme Federal Court.

On December 6, 2007, the Institute of Historic and Artistic National Heritage (Portuguese: Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional) decided to declare the building of the National Congress a historical heritage of the Brazilian people. The building is also among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as part of Brasília's original urban buildings, since 1987.

Similar high-rises

At least two other high-rise buildings are similar to the National Congress building:

Sokos Hotel Viru in Tallinn, Estonia. Completed in 1972, originally owned by USSR's Intourist, and formerly called Viru hotell;
Greece–Bosnia and Herzegovina Friendship Building in Sarajevo. Built in 1974; formerly Executive Council Building in the former Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Gallery

National Congress building

Chamber of Deputies
Federal Senate
Committee room
Noble Room of the Senate
Exterior, on a rainy day
Exterior view of the Chamber of Deputies
Exterior view of the Senate chamber
The National Congress building at night
Front facade and lawn.
The Congress seen from the Monumental Axis
Legislative police officers outside the National Congress building.
The Congress lit up in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month on October 1, 2014
Protesters during an anti-government demonstration in front of the Congress, 13 March 2016.

Coordinates: 15°47′59″S 47°51′51″W / 15.79972°S 47.86417°W / -15.79972; -47.86417

Latest election

Summary of the 5 October 2014 National Congress election results


Coalition	Parties		Chamber					Senate
Coalition	Parties		Votes	% of votes	Seats	% of seats	+/–	Votes	% of votes	Elected seats	Total seats	% of seats	+/–
Pro-government Coalition With the Strength of the People (Coligação Com a Força do Povo)		Worker's Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT)	13.554.166	14,00%	70	13,65%	–18	15.155.818	17,00%	2	12	14,81%	–2
		Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro, PMDB)	10.791.949	11,15%	66	12,87%	–13	12.129.969	13,61%	5	18	22,22%	–2
		Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrático, PSD)	5.967.953	6,16%	37	7,21%	New	7.147.245	8,02%	2	3	3,70%	New
		Progressive Party (Partido Progressista, PP)	6.178.949	6,38%	36	7,02%	–5	1.931.738	2,17%	1	5	6,17%	±0
		Republic Party (Partido da República, PR)	5.633.054	5,82%	34	6,63%	–7	696.462	0,78%	1	4	4,94%	±0
		Brazilian Republican Party (Partido Republicano Brasileiro, PRB)	4.408.641	4,55%	21	4,09%	+13	301.162	0,34%	0	1	1,23%	±0
		Democratic Labour Party (Partido Democrático Trabalhista, PDT)	3.469.168	3,58%	19	3,70%	–9	3.609.643	4,05%	4	8	9,88%	+4
		Republican Party of the Social Order (Partido Republicano da Ordem Social, PROS)	1.977.117	2,04%	11	2,14%	New	2.234.132	2,51%	0	1	1,23%	New
		Communist Party of Brazil (Partido Comunista do Brasil, PC do B)	1.913.015	1,98%	10	1,95%	–5	803.144	0,90%	0	1	1,23%	−1
	Total		53.894.012	55,66%	304	59,26%	+4	44.009.313	49,36%	15	53	65,43%	+3
Opposition Coalition Change Brazil (Coligação Muda Brasil)		Brazilian Social Democratic Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB)	11.071.772	11,43%	54	10,53%	+1	23.880.078	26,79%	4	10	12,35%	−1
		Brazilian Labour Party (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro, PTB)	3.914.193	4,04%	25	4,87%	+4	2.803.999	3,15%	2	3	2,47%	−3
		Democrats (Democratas, DEM)	4.080.757	4,21%	22	3,94%	–21	3.515.426	4,29%	3	5	6,17%	−1
		Solidarity (Solidariedade, SD)	2.637.961	2,72%	15	2,92%	New	370.507	0,42%	0	1	1,23%	New
		National Labour Party (Partido Trabalhista Nacional, PTN)	720.878	0,74%	4	0,78%	+4	2.741	0,00%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Party of National Mobilization (Partido da Mobilização Nacional, PMN)	467.777	0,48%	3	0,58%	–1	57.911	0,06%	0	0	0,00%	−1
		National Ecologic Party (Partido Ecológico Nacional, PEN)	663.108	0,69%	2	0,39%	New	65.597	0,07%	0	0	0,00%	New
		Christian Labour Party (Partido Trabalhista Cristão, PTC)	338.117	0,35%	2	0,39%	+1	21.993	0,02%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Labour Party of Brazil (Partido Trabalhista do Brasil, PT do B)	812.206	0,84%	1	0,19%	–2	11.300	0,01%	0	0	0,00%	±0
	Total		24.706.769	25,52%	128	24,95%	+3	30.729.552	34,47%	9	19	23,46%	−5
Opposition Coalition United for Brazil (Coligação Unidos pelo Brasil)		Brazilian Socialist Party (Partido Socialista Brasileiro, PSB)	6.267.878	6,47%	34	6,63%	±0	12.123.194	13,60%	3	7	8,64%	+4
		Popular Socialist Party (Partido Popular Socialista, PPS)	1.955.490	2,02%	10	1,95%	–2	0	0,00%	0	0	0,00%	−1
		Humanist Party of Solidarity (Partido Humanista da Solidariedade, PHS)	917.647	0,95%	5	0,97%	+3	0	0,00%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Progressive Republican Party (Partido Republicano Progressista, PRP)	723.965	0,75%	3	0,58%	+1	170.527	0,19%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Social Liberal Party (Partido Social Liberal, PSL)	808.710	0,84%	1	0,19%	±0	0	0,00%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Free Homeland Party (Partido Pátria Livre, PPL)	141.254	0,15%	0	0,0%	New	29.366	0,03%	0	0	0,00%	±0
	Total		10.814.944	11,17%	53	10,33%	+2	12.323.087	13,82	3	7	8,64%	+3
Out of coalition (Fora de coligação)		Social Christian Party (Partido Social Cristão, PSC)	2.448.898	2,53%	12	2,34%	–5	19.286	0,02%	0	0	0,00%	−1
		Green Party (Partido Verde, PV)	2.004.464	2,07%	8	1,56%	–7	536.978	0,60%	0	1	1,23%	+1
		Socialism and Liberty Party (Partido Socialismo e Liberdade, PSOL)	1.745.470	1,80%	5	0,97%	+2	1.045.275	1,17%	0	1	1,23%	−1
		Christian Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata Cristão, PSDC)	500.021	0,52%	2	0,39%	+2	31.011	0,03%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Brazilian Labour Renewal Party (Partido Renovador Trabalhista Brasileiro, PRTB)	450.393	0,47%	1	0,19%	–1	38.429	0,04%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		United Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista dos Trabalhadores Unificado, PSTU)	182.760	0,19%	0	0,00%	±0	345.200	0,39%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Brazilian Communist Party (Partido Comunista Brasileiro, PCB)	66.615	0,07%	0	0,00%	±0	68199	0,08%	0	0	0,00%	±0
		Workers' Cause Party (Partido da Causa Operária, PCO)	12.969	0,01%	0	0,00%	±0	8.561	0,01%	0	0	0,00%	±0
	Total valid votes		96.827.315	100,00%	513	100,00%	±0	89.154.621	100,00%	27	81	100,00%	±0
	Sources: Chamber, Senate

Legislatures

The Legislatures are counted from the first meeting of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, on 6 May 1826, in the imperial era (the Chamber of Deputies met for preparatory sessions from 29 April 1826 onwards to elect its officers and conduct other preliminary business, but the Legislature was formally opened on 6 May). The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate were created by Brazil's first Constitution, the Constitution of the Empire of Brazil, adopted in 1824. The previous Constituent and Legislative Assembly of the Empire of Brazil, a unicameral National Assembly, that was convened in 1823 and that was dissolved by Emperor Pedro I before adopting a Constitution is not counted among the Legislatures. Thus, the numbering includes only the bicameral Legislatures that existed from 1826 to the present day, and includes only Legislatures elected after the adoption of the first Brazilian Constitution.

In the imperial era, the national legislature was named General Assembly. It was made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Senators were elected for life and the Senate was a permanent institution, whereas the Chamber of Deputies, unless dissolved earlier, was elected every four years. When Brazil became a Republic and a Federal State the model of a bicameral Legislature was retained at the Federal level, but the Parliament was renamed National Congress. The National Congress is made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Both Houses have fixed terms and cannot be dissolved earlier. Under Brazil's present Constitution, adopted in 1988, Senators are elected to eight-year terms, and Deputies are elected every four years.

The numbering of the Legislatures is continuous, including the Legislatures of the imperial General Assembly and of the republican National Congress. The inauguration of a new composition of Chamber of Deputies for a four-year term of office marks the start of a new Legislature.

Legislature	Period	Legislature	Period	Legislature	Period	Legislature	Period	Legislature	Period
1st Legislature	1826 - 1829	13th Legislature	1867 - 1868	25th Legislature	1900 - 1902	37th Legislature	1935 - 1937	49th Legislature	1991 - 1995
2nd Legislature	1830 - 1833	14th Legislature	1869 - 1872	26th Legislature	1903 - 1905	38th Legislature	1946 - 1950	50th Legislature	1995 - 1999
3rd Legislature	1834 - 1837	15th Legislature	1872 - 1875	27th Legislature	1906 - 1908	39th Legislature	1951 - 1954	51st Legislature	1999 - 2003
4th Legislature	1838 - 1841	16th Legislature	1876 - 1877	28th Legislature	1909 - 1911	40th Legislature	1955 - 1958	52nd Legislature	2003 - 2007
5th Legislature	1842 - 1844	17th Legislature	1878 - 1881	29th Legislature	1912 - 1914	41st Legislature	1959 - 1962	53rd Legislature	2007 - 2011
6th Legislature	1845 - 1847	18th Legislature	1882 - 1884	30th Legislature	1915 - 1917	42nd Legislature	1963 - 1967	54th Legislature	2011 - 2015
7th Legislature	1848 - 1848	19th Legislature	1885 - 1885	31st Legislature	1918 - 1920	43rd Legislature	1967 - 1970	55th Legislature	2015 - 2019
8th Legislature	1849 - 1852	20th Legislature	1886 - 1889	32nd Legislature	1921 - 1923	44th Legislature	1971 - 1975
9th Legislature	1853 - 1856	21st Legislature	1890 - 1891	33rd Legislature	1924 - 1926	45th Legislature	1975 - 1979
10th Legislature	1857 - 1860	22nd Legislature	1891 - 1893	34th Legislature	1927 - 1929	46th Legislature	1979 - 1983
11th Legislature	1861 - 1863	23rd Legislature	1894 - 1896	35th Legislature	1930 - 1930	47th Legislature	1983 - 1987
12th Legislature	1864 - 1866	24th Legislature	1897 - 1899	36th Legislature	1933 - 1935	48th Legislature	1987 - 1991

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Congress building in Brasilia.

(Portuguese) National Congress
(Portuguese) Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
- (Portuguese) Chamber of Deputies' e-Democracy
(Portuguese) Senate of Brazil
(Portuguese) Photos 360° of National Congress

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List of Legislatures of the General Assembly and National Congress

General Assembly Empire	1st (1826-1829) 2nd (1830-1833) 3rd (1834-1837) 4th (1838-1841) 5th (1842-1844) 6th (1845-1847) 7th (1848-1848) 8th (1849-1852) 9th (1853-1856) 10th (1857-1860) 11th (1861-1863) 12th (1864-1866) 13th (1867-1868) 14th (1869-1872) 15th (1872-1875) 16th (1876-1877) 17th (1878-1881) 18th (1882-1884) 19th (1885-1885) 20th (1886-1889)

National Congress Republic	21st (1890-1891) 22nd (1891-1893) 23rd (1894-1896) 24th (1897-1899) 25th (1900-1902) 26th (1903-1905) 27th (1906-1908) 28th (1909-1911) 29th (1912-1914) 30th (1915-1917) 31st (1918-1920) 32nd (1921-1923) 33rd (1924-1926) 34th (1927-1929) 35th (1930-1930) 36th (1933-1935) 37th (1935-1937) 38th (1946-1950) 39th (1951-1954) 40th (1955-1958) 41st (1959-1962) 42nd (1963-1967) 43rd (1967-1970) 44th (1971-1975) 45th (1975-1979) 46th (1979-1983) 47th (1983-1987) 48th (1987-1991) 49th (1991-1995) 50th (1995-1999) 51st (1999-2003) 52nd (2003-2007) 53rd (2007-2011) 54th (2011-2015) 55th (2015-2019)

Legislatures of Brazil

National Congress	Chamber of Deputies Federal Senate

State legislatures	Acre Alagoas Amapá Amazonas Bahia Ceará Distrito Federal Espírito Santo Goiás Maranhão Mato Grosso Mato Grosso do Sul Minas Gerais Pará Paraíba Paraná Pernambuco Piauí Rio de Janeiro Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Sul Rondônia Roraima Santa Catarina São Paulo Sergipe Tocantins

Municipally legislatures (list)	Acre Alagoas Amapá Amazonas Bahia Ceará Distrito Federal Espírito Santo Goiás Maranhão Mato Grosso Mato Grosso do Sul Minas Gerais Pará Paraíba Paraná Pernambuco Piauí Rio de Janeiro Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Sul Rondônia Roraima Santa Catarina São Paulo Sergipe Tocantins

National bicameral legislatures

Federal	Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Canada Ethiopia India Malaysia Mexico Nigeria Pakistan Russia Somalia South Sudan Sudan Switzerland United States

Unitary	Afghanistan Algeria Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belarus Belize Bhutan Bolivia Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Chile Colombia Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Czech Republic Dominican Republic Equatorial Guinea France Gabon Grenada Haiti Indonesia Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Mauritania Morocco Myanmar Namibia Netherlands Oman Palau Paraguay Philippines Poland Romania Rwanda Saint Lucia Slovenia South Africa Spain Swaziland Tajikistan Trinidad and Tobago United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Zimbabwe

Dependent and other territories	American Samoa Bermuda Isle of Man Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico

Non-UN states	Somaliland

Historical	Yugoslavia

Related	Unicameralism List of legislatures by country

National unicameral legislatures National lower houses National upper houses

Legislatures in South America

Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Panama Paraguay Peru Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela Aruba Curaçao Falkland Islands French Guiana

National legislative bodies of the Americas

North America South America

Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela

Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Falkland Islands Greenland Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint-Barthélemy Saint Pierre and Miquelon Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands US Virgin Islands

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