next to be held NA October 1998)
election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO elected president; percent
of vote-Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%,
Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%, Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao
AMIN 3%; note-second direct presidential election since 1960

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional
consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three
members from each state or federal district elected according to the
principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected
after a four year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year
period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513
seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate-last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of
Senate (next to be held October 1998 for one-third of the Senate);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held
October 1998)
election results: Federal Senate-percent of vote by party-PMDB 28%,
PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12%; seats by
party-NA; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-PMDB 21%, PFL
18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%; seats by
party-NA
note: party totals since the fall of 1994 have changed considerably
due to extensive party-switching

Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal, 11 judges are appointed for
life by the president and confirmed by the Senate

Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or
PMDB [Paes DE ANDRADE, president]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jose
JORGE, president]; Workers' Party or PT [Jose DIRCEU, president];
Brazilian Workers' Party or PTB [Rodrigues PALMA, president];
Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA, president]; Brazilian
Progressive Party or PPB [Espiridiao AMIN, president]; Brazilian
Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Artur DA TAVOLA, president]; Popular
Socialist Party or PPS [Roberto FREIRE, president]; Communist Party of
Brazil or PCdoB [Joao AMAZONAS, chairman]; Liberal Party or PL [Alvaro
VALLE, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders: left wing of the Catholic
Church, Landless Worker's Movement, and labor unions allied to leftist
Workers' Party are critical of government's social and economic
policies

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), BIS
(pending member), CCC, ECLAC,