Brazil’s political history began in the 15th century when Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed territory in Brazil. The Portuguese ruled Brazil from Lisbon until 1808 when the Portuguese royal family established an empire seat of government in Rio de Janeiro, after fleeing from Napoleon army back in Portugal. The royal family returned to Portugal in 1821 leaving Dom Pedro as a new advisor to the Brazilian kingdom (Power, 2010). Dom Pedro declared Brazil independence on 7th September 1822 and proclaimed himself as the Emperor Dom Pedro I. His son became the Dom Pedro II, governed Brazil for 58 years from 1831- 1889. A bloodless coup organized by Army Marshall Deodoro da Fonseca led to the established federal republic of Brazil, a new face of a government that allowed people to exercise their dramatic rights.
During the first 40 years of Brazil republic history, the country was governed by a constitutional democracy back then in 1930, and a military coup followed which appointed Getulio vergas as the president, who ruled the country through dictatorship until 1945 when Jaoa Goulart became the president whereby he dragged the country back to dictatorship. Alarmed by weak economic growth and widespread political insecurity, general Humborto Joao Branco the army chief of staff led a bloodless coup overthrowing president Jaoa government and appointed himself as the president in 1964 (Power, 2010). He ruled too under dictatorship and burned all political parties. He ruled the country until 1985. The majority party in the Electoral College selected senator Tancredo Neves to be the president, but he accidentally died before the inauguration. His vice president Jose Sarney was sworn in as the president in 1985. The presidential election was held in 1985, and Fernando Collor de mollo became elected as the president. However, the worker party leader Luis Inaco, accused cases of corruption and mismanagement on the president, Collor left the office in 1992, his vice president Itamar Franco assumed office to complete his term.
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Since 1985, Brazil has progressed swiftly to the restoration of the prominent democratic process. A constitutional change reinstated direct elections by universal suffrage in May 1985. Then followed the creation of the Brazilian constitution in 1987, the national assembly chooses some members to discuss on the new Brazilian constitution, and the final draft got approved and promulgated on 5 th October 1988 (Power, 2010).
The Brazilian constitution comprises of 245 definite articles. The constitution recognizes Brazil as a federal republic with 26 states and centralized districts. A bicameral national chamber performs legislative power. The federal senate comprises of 81 members who assume office for a term of 8 years (Power, 2010). The 1988 constitution specifies the power and duties of the president who is elected for a five-year term; however, the constitution was altered in 1994 where the president was supposed to serve for four years. But two years later in 1996 the constitution was amended allowing the president to serve one more term, the presidential election is structured in a way that will enable him to serve two terms.
Barriers of Democracy in Brazil
People and opposition parties lack faith and confidence in the electoral Authority. This is a real challenge since a problem lies within the electoral commission, which has been charged with biasness and deceit, the electrical authority prevent people from exercising their democratic rights through electing the leader of their choice. The high rate of unemployment, there is rampant unemployment crises in Brazil, unemployed young youths in slums are easily incited and manipulated by politicians to fight and riot in streets during election periods. Unemployment has become a fertile breeding ground for violence and hate.
Illiteracy, a good percentage of Brazilian citizens have no access to quality education, and they fail to understand what the meaning of democracy and how to promote equality, illiteracy, and ignorance is the most significant challenge affecting democracy growth. Brazil should institute Representative democracy; this type of democracy gives the people power and voice over significant decisions that could affect them in one way. It provides the citizen with the power to elect a representative who represents them in the government. Representative democracy is suitable in Brazil since the number of citizens is so high where a direct representative would be so complicated (Thompson, 2013).
The executive-legislative body is efficiently used, and this one of the most significant advantages of representative democracy can contribute. The legislative body is constitution laws, and it’s responsible for drafting laws and policies accountable for governing the nation. It gives citizens the power to exercise their democratic right by electing leaders of their choice. People choose the best-educated leaders and have high hopes they will represent them to the best on their interest (Thompson, 2013). Representative democracy makes it simple for the government to address current challenges facing the nation the elected legislative people are aware of problems surrounding them and this way challenges will be discussed so easily, and meeting citizen needs so quickly.
References
Power, T. J. (2010). Optimism, pessimism, and coalitional presidentialism: Debating the institutional design of Brazilian democracy. Bulletin of Latin American Research , 29 (1), 18-33.
Thompson, H. (2013). Might, right, prosperity and consent: representative democracy and the international economy 1919–2001.
