1993 Brazilian constitutional referendum

1993 Brazilian constitutional referendum
Which form and which system of government should be applied in Brazil?
Form of government
System of government

A constitutional referendum was held in Brazil on 21 April 1993 to determine the form of government of the country.^[1] After the re-democratization of Brazil, an article in the new Constitution determined the holding of a referendum for voters to decide if the country should remain a republic or become a monarchy again, and if the system of government should be presidential or parliamentary. Voting for "monarchy" and "presidentialism" in tandem would annul one's vote.

At the time, the country had been a republic for 104 years since the coup d'état that overthrew the monarchy on 15 November 1889 and, apart from a brief parliamentarian experience between 1961 and 1963^[2] (also defeated in a referendum), the system had been presidential. Since the republic was originally a provisional government resulting from a military coup, a decree under the first republican Constitution predicted another referendum to popularly legitimate or change the current form of government.^[3]

As to the 1993 referendum, the Constitution specified that Congress, sitting in joint session, would be empowered to effect a revision of the Constitution in 1994 by an absolute majority instead of the qualified majority procedure with separate votes in both houses of Congress that is usually required for constitutional amendments; any change of regime decided during the referendum would be adopted during the said constitutional revision.

Federal Law n° 8.624, signed into law by President Itamar Franco on 4 February 1993, regulated the holding of the referendum.^[4]

An overwhelming majority of voters favoured the republican regime and the presidential system. In spite of heavy campaigning on TV and radio, turnout was relatively low (73%), considering that voting is compulsory in the country.

^ (in Portuguese) Nunes, Branca. "Entre o parlamentarismo e a monarquia, o Brasil resolveu continuar presidencialista" Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Blog Caça ao Voto. Veja. 15 October 2010.
^ (in Portuguese) Agência Senado. "Presidencialismo nasceu com a República e foi confirmado por plebiscito em 1993". Federal Senate. 13 August 2010.
^ [1]. "Art. 7º - Sendo a República Federativa brasileira a forma de governo proclamada, o Governo Provisório não reconhece nem reconhecerá nenhum Governo local contrário à forma republicana, aguardando, como lhe cumpre, o pronunciamento definitivo do voto da Nação, livremente expressado pelo sufrágio popular."
^ (in Portuguese) Presidency of the Republic - Law N° 8624, 4 February 1993.

[Nun-1] (in Portuguese) Nunes, Branca. "Entre o parlamentarismo e a monarquia, o Brasil resolveu continuar presidencialista" Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Blog Caça ao Voto. Veja. 15 October 2010.

[2] (in Portuguese) Agência Senado. "Presidencialismo nasceu com a República e foi confirmado por plebiscito em 1993". Federal Senate. 13 August 2010.

[3] [1]. "Art. 7º - Sendo a República Federativa brasileira a forma de governo proclamada, o Governo Provisório não reconhece nem reconhecerá nenhum Governo local contrário à forma republicana, aguardando, como lhe cumpre, o pronunciamento definitivo do voto da Nação, livremente expressado pelo sufrágio popular."

[Pres-4] (in Portuguese) Presidency of the Republic - Law N° 8624, 4 February 1993.

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