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| National Congress, Brazil |
The official name of the country is Republica Federativa do Brasil, meaning the Federative Republic of Brazil. The country is divided into 26 states and one federal district, which is the nation's capital, Brasilia. The tripartite division of power is determined by the constitution. Authorities of the judicial branch of power are appointed only upon passing an entry exam while direct suffrage is the method of electing members of the legislative and executive branches. Brazil has a presidential system of government, which means that the president is both head of state and head of government, with two four-year terms possible. The National Congress has two chambers, the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate, with the later being the upper house. The Chamber of Deputies has 513 representatives elected on four-year terms and the number of representatives from one state depends on the state's population. The Federal Senate has 81 senator, each state having three plus three from the federal district, all elected on eight-year terms.
Most prominent parties in Brazil are the Worker's Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT), the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB), the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movimento Democratico Brasileira, PMDB) and the Democrats (Democratas, formerly Liberal Front Party). The PT and PSDB are considered more left oriented, the Democrats are of centre-right allignment while PMDB is a centrist party. The country's president, Luiz Inacio 'Lula' da Silva is a member of the Worker's Party.
