O presidentialism It is a system of government characterized by the predominance of power in the figure of the president. In this system, the president accumulates the positions of head of government, head of state, and chief executive. Each presidential system, of course, sets the criteria for ensuring the president's respect for the system. democratic.
A president is elected for a term with a specific time, and the possibility of re-election is a criterion defined by the law of each country that adopts presidentialism. Brazil adopted presidentialism in 1889, and the current Brazilian presidential system was organized by the Constitution of 1988.
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Topics of this article
- 1 - Summary about presidentialism
- 2 - What is presidentialism?
- 3 - Characteristics of presidentialism
- 4 - Presidentialism in Brazil
Summary about presidentialism
It is a system of government marked by the predominance of power of the president.
It is directly related to the republican system.
In it, the president is head of state and head of government.
The president is elected through popular elections (direct or indirect).
In Brazil, the president has a mandate that can last up to four years, and can be re-elected once.
What is presidentialism?
Presidentialism is a system of government directly associated with republicanism and characterized by the concentration of power in the figure of the president, who becomes head of state and head of government simultaneously. This concentration of power in the president does not mean that his powers are unlimited.
This is because presidential systems establish, mainly through a Constitution, the rights and duties of a president, also establishing the limits of presidential power. In presidentialism, the president is the head of the Executive, and in this system a precise separation of Executive, Legislative It is judiciary.
In presidentialism, the president is understood as a representative of the population, as he is chosen through popular elections. Thus, in presidential systems it is the population itself that elects its president. Each country sets the criteria for presidential elections to take place.
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Another thing quite common in presidential systems is the limitation on the term of office of the president. Generally, presidential countries establish a period for one term with the possibility of one re-election. However, there are some countries that do not allow the re-election of a president, limiting the permanence in office to just one term.
It is important to point out that a presidential system can also be established in a dictatorial scenario and not only in democratic contexts. This is because a dictator can establish a presidential system in order to give political and legal legitimacy to his power.
Another key point when we talk about presidentialism is a legal device called impeachment. This resource determines the deposition of the president and should only be used when it is legally proven that the president carried out actions that are not compatible with his position. An impeachment carried out without a motivation or used only as an instrument of political manipulation is characterized as a coup.
Read more: Government regime — the way the government behaves, which can be democratic, authoritarian or totalitarian
Characteristics of presidentialism
First, it is important to clarify that there are several models of presidential systems across the planet. Each country adopts this system applying its particularities to it, but it is possible to trace some common characteristics between the different countries that adopt it.
Between the basic characteristics of presidentialism,they are:
The highest authority in the country is the president.
The president is considered both the head of state and the head of government.
He is elected directly (or indirectly in some countries) for a limited term of office.
He is considered the head of the Executive, and cannot interfere in the work of the Legislative Power.
It has the right to compose its own government, appointing ministers, heads of the Armed Forces and other important authorities for public administration.
It can propose bills and can veto legislative decisions, but presidential vetoes can be overridden in the legislature.
It must account for its government's actions to the legislature.
Presidentialism in Brazil
Presidentialism was adopted in Brazil from 1889, with the proclamation of republic, and was ratified through the Constitution of 1891, which recognized it as a Brazilian government system. During this period, Brazil went through two dictatorships and a brief parliamentarism.
More recently, a plebiscite was held in Brazil to consult which form and government system Brazilian population wished. This plebiscite was held in 1993, with the population choosing the republic and presidentialism respectively. Brazil's presidential system was delimited by the 1988 Constitution.
In the Brazilian presidential system, a election presidential every four years, the length of one term. An elected president can be re-elected for another four-year term, after which he is required to take a leave of absence.
In Brazil, the president is, in fact, the head of government and head of state, being the highest authority in the country and the head of the executive branch. His work is supervised by the Legislature, and the Brazilian president is obliged to account for his government. He can veto legislative decisions, but his veto can be overridden.
The president is the head of the Armed Forces and appoints its commanders. He also appoints the Justices of the Federal Supreme Court, his Ministers of State and of many other important positions in the Brazilian public administration.
The election of the president in Brazil is direct, and, for a president to be elected, he needs to obtain more than 50% of the valid votes. If no presidential candidate achieves this feat in the first round, the first two advance to decide the dispute in a second round.
Coalition presidentialism in Brazil
Many political scientists classify presidentialism in Brazil as a coalition, as a way of demonstrating the importance of the legislature to the position of the president. This is because it is fundamental for the president to have an allied base in the Legislature so that he can have support in his projects throughout his term.
In the Brazilian case, it is fundamental that the president has support in the National Congress — Chamber of Deputies It is federal Senate. Like this, the president needs to gain a base of parliamentary support to succeed in your actions. If the president's party does not have a parliamentary majority, it is necessary for the government to establish political alliances with other political parties to guarantee that support in the Legislature.
By Daniel Neves
History teacher
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Daniel Neves. "Presidentialism"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/politica/presidencialismo.htm. Accessed on April 12, 2023.
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