Brazil’s government is classified a presidential and federative republic with traits of both federalism and democracy (Brazil - Structure of Government, 2016). Brazil is broken up into states, but still has a federal government that oversees the entire country. In Brazil voting is mandatory for all literate citizens from ages 18 to 69. Anyone who is illiterate, between 16 and 17, or older than 69 years of age can choose to vote, but is not required to do so (Brazil Politics - Intro, 2016). In comparison, within the United States voting is optional for all individuals over the age of 18 and registered to vote.
A main difference between the election process of Brazil and the United States lies in the party system. In Brazil there are multiple parties that a voter can choose to elect an official from, while in the United States there are two parties that dominate the political spectrum. In Brazil the main …show more content…
Both of the countries have an elected president and a Congress. Also, both are broken up into three branches: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. The Legislative branch, much like within the United States, involves the Congress of the country. The Congress itself is comprised of the Federal State and Chamber of Deputies. The Federal State has 81 members that are elected proportionally, similarly to the House of Representatives. The Chamber of Deputies are elected from a direct ballot, similar to the Senate (Brazil Politics - Intro, 2016). Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal is the equivalence of the Federal Supreme Court. Judges are the only position within the Brazilian government to hold life-long terms. This gives the Judicial branch a large amount of power, but it is still regulated with the checks and balances intended in the governmental structure. Just like the United States, the executive branch comprises of the president who acts as the head of the