Brazil operates as a federal presidential representative democratic republic, where the President serves as both head of state and head of government within a dynamic multi-party system. Its political and administrative structure is tiered across federal, 26 state, and municipal levels, each featuring independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. At the federal level, the President leads the Executive, while legislative power rests with the bicameral National Congress.
The nation's unrestricted multi-party system, characterized by many parties and frequent switching, necessitates the Executive forming diverse, often ideologically incoherent, "coalition presidentialism" alliances to pass legislation, contributing to Brazil being rated a "flawed democracy" in 2022. Brazil also possesses a rich constitutional history, evolving through seven constitutions. Notable examples include the monarchic 1824 charter of Emperor Pedro I, the democratic 1934 constitution which granted women's suffrage, and the autocratic 1937 "Polish" constitution under Getúlio Vargas.