tober 2006 (next to be held 3 October
2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010)
election results: Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) reelected president
- 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the
Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each
state and 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 1 October 2006 for one-third
of the Senate (next to be held October 2010 for two-thirds of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be
held October 2010)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PDT 1, PSB 1,
PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following election -
PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 10, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL 3, PCdoB 2,
PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PSOL 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB
65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13,
PSC 9, other 17

Judicial branch:
Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by
the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of
Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life);
note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal
employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70

Political parties and leaders:
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel
TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Flavio de CASTRO MARTINEZ];
Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy Fidelix DA CRUZ];
Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS];
Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI];
Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Federal Deputy Eduardo Henrique
Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato
RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI];
Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Green Party
or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Hu