Words and idioms that you will frequently encounter when reading/listening/watching about the Brazilian Government

Vocabulário da Política Brasileira/Brazilian Politics Vocabulary

The President. Elected each 4 years to rule Brazil.

A male or female Governor. Elected simultaneously with the "Presidente" to rule each one of the 26 Brazilian States or its Federal District.

A male or female Senator. Elected to 8 years terms, there are 81 of them and they are one of the two groups responsible for creating the Brazilian laws (being "Deputados Federais" the other one).

A male or female Representative. It can refer to either a "Deputado(a) Federal", which is a National Representative, or to a "Deputado(a) Estadual", which is a State Representative. Both serve 4 years terms.

A male or female Mayor. Elected each 4 years to rule each one of Brazil's more than 5,000 municipalities. They are elected in mid-term elections in comparison to the "major" elections.

A male or female Municipal/City Councillor. Elected simultaneouly with the "Prefeito(a)" to create the laws of theirs municipalities.

Refers to the Executive Power/Branch of the government. Therefore it can be used to refer to something related to the President, a governor, a mayor or one of the institutions linked to them, like the "Ministérios".

A Ministry/Department. Each "Ministério" is responsible for a sector of public administration and is managed by a "Ministro" (male) or Ministra (female). All of them are chosen and can be dismissed by the President.