Palácio do Planalto ("Plateau Palace"), the official workplace of the President of Brazil.
The Brazilian Federation is the "indissoluble union" of the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.[17] The Union, the states and the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government". The federation is set on five fundamental principles:[17] sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labour and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial under a checks and balances system) are formally established by the Constitution.[17] The executive and legislative are organized independently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state/Federal District spheres.
National Congress of Brazil, seat of the legislative branch.
Together with several smaller parties, four political parties stand out: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) and Democrats (DEM). Fifteen political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly.[167] Almost all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive.
Law
Brazilian law is based on Roman-Germanic[not in citation given] traditions[168] and civil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases.
Supreme Federal Court of Brazil serves primarily as the Constitutional Court of the country.
This system has been criticized over the last few decades for the slow pace of decision-making. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade elapses before definitive rulings.[172] Nevertheless, the Supreme Federal Tribunal was the first court in the world to transmit its sessions on television, and also via YouTube.[173][174] More recently, in December 2009, the Supreme Court adopted Twitter to display items on the day planner of the ministers, to inform the daily actions of the Court and the most important decisions made by them.[175]
Military
Main article: Brazilian Armed Forces
Numbering close to 236,000 active personnel,[178] the Brazilian Army has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America, including armored transports and tanks[179] It is also unique in Latin America for its large, elite forces specializing in unconventional missions, the Brazilian Special Operations Command,[180][181][182] and the versatile Strategic Rapid Action Force, made up of highly mobilized and prepared (Special Operations Brigade, Infantry Brigade Parachutist,[183][184] 1st Jungle Infantry Battalion (Airmobile)[185] and 12th Brigade Light Infantry (Airmobile)[186] able to act anywhere in the country, on short notice, to counter external aggression.[187] The states' Military Police and the Military Firefighters Corps are described as an ancillary forces of the Army by the constitution, but are under the control of each state's governor.[17]
Various aircraft participate in the CRUZEX exercise on 11 November 2010, at Natal Air Force Base
The Air Force, it is the largest in Latin America has about 700 manned aircraft in service and effective about 67,000 personnel.[191]
Brazil has not been invaded since 1865 during the Paraguayan War.[192] Additionally, Brazil has no contested territorial disputes with any of its neighbours[193] and neither does it have rivalries, like Chile and Bolivia have with each other.[194][195] The Brazilian military has also three times intervened militarily to overthrow the Brazilian government.[196] It has built a tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping missions such as in Haiti and East Timor.[197]
 Brazilian Army Astros 2020 |
 Brazilian Navy Cv Barroso (V34) |
 Brazilian Air Force AMX International |
Foreign policy
Main article: Foreign relations of Brazil
Itamaraty Palace, the seat of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Constitution, the President has ultimate authority over foreign policy, while the Congress is tasked with reviewing and considering all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to Brazilian foreign policy.[199]
Brazil's foreign policy is a by-product of the country's unique position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.[200] Brazilian foreign policy has generally been based on the principles of multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and non-intervention in the affairs of other countries.[201]
An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.[202] Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.[202] Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year that includes:[202]
- technical cooperation of around $480 million ($30 million in 2010 provided directly by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC))
- an estimated $450 million for in-kind expertise provided by Brazilian institutions specialising in technical cooperation
Law enforcement and crime
Main articles: Law enforcement in Brazil and Crime in Brazil
Helicopter of the Federal Police Department.
The country still has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of gun violence and homicide. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the number of 32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest rates of intentional homicide of the world.[205] The number considered tolerable by the WHO is about 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.[206] However, there are differences between the crime rates in the Brazilian states. While in São Paulo the homicide rate registered in 2013 was 10.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, in Alagoas it was 64.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.[207]
Brazil also has high levels of incarceration and the third largest prison population in the world (behind only China and the United States), with an estimated total of approximately 700,000 prisoners around the country (June 2014), an increase of about 300% compared to the index registered in 1992.[208] The high number of prisoners eventually overloaded the Brazilian prison system, leading to a shortfall of about two hundred thousand accommodations.[209]
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