Chamber of Deputies (Brazil)
The Chamber of Deputies (Portuguese: Câmara dos Deputados) is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. The chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms. The current President of the Chamber is the Deputy Arthur Lira (PP-AL), who was elected on 1 February 2021.
Chamber of Deputies Câmara dos Deputados | |
|---|---|
| 57th Legislature of the National Congress | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 6 May 1826 |
New session started | 1 February 2023 |
| Leadership | |
President | Arthur Lira, PP since 1 February 2021 |
Government Leader | José Guimarães, PT since 6 January 2023 |
Minority Leader | Eduardo Bolsonaro, PL since 1 February 2023 |
Opposition Leader | Carlos Jordy, PL since 1 February 2023 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 513 |
Political groups | Government (228)[1]
Opposition (168)[1]
Independents (117)
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Salary | R$ 33,763 monthly (and benefits)[2] |
| Elections | |
| Open list proportional representation (D'Hondt method) with a 2% election threshold[3] | |
Last election | 2 October 2022 |
Next election | 4 October 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Ulysses Guimarães plenary chamber National Congress building Brasília, Federal District, Brazil | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Brazil |
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Structure
The number of deputies elected is proportional to the size of the population of the respective state (or of the Federal District) as of 1994. However, no delegation can be made up of less than eight or more than seventy seats. Thus the least populous state elects eight federal deputies and the most populous elects seventy. These restrictions favour the smaller states at the expense of the more populous states and so the size of the delegations is not exactly proportional to population.
Elections to the Chamber of Deputies are held every four years, with all seats up for election.
Federal representation
A census held every 10 years by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics is used as the basis for the distribution of the seats. Proportionality is followed as a principle, with the exception that there should be a minimum of eight (8) members and a maximum of seventy (70) members per state. Per the 2010 census, states with 3,258,117 inhabitants upwards have 9 to 70 deputies.
As a result, although most states hover around an average of 362,013 inhabitants by deputy (per the 2010 census), some states with smaller populations have a much lower average, such as Roraima (1 for 51,000 inhabitants).
| Federal state | Deputies currently allotted | % | Population (2010 Census) | % | Population per deputy | Deputies in proportional allotment | Difference (actual−proportional) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 70 | 13.6% | 39,924,091 | 21.5% | 570,344 | 110 | –40 |
| Minas Gerais | 53 | 10.3% | 19,159,260 | 10.3% | 361,495 | 53 | 0 |
| Rio de Janeiro | 46 | 9% | 15,180,636 | 8.2% | 330,014 | 42 | +4 |
| Bahia | 39 | 7.6% | 13,633,969 | 7.3% | 349,589 | 38 | +1 |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 31 | 6% | 10,576,758 | 5.7% | 341,186 | 29 | +2 |
| Paraná | 30 | 5.8% | 10,226,737 | 5.5% | 340,891 | 28 | +2 |
| Pernambuco | 25 | 4.9% | 8,541,250 | 4.6% | 341,650 | 24 | +1 |
| Ceará | 22 | 4.3% | 8,450,527 | 4.4% | 371,822 | 23 | –1 |
| Maranhão | 18 | 3.5% | 6,424,340 | 3.5% | 356,908 | 18 | 0 |
| Goiás | 17 | 3.3% | 5,849,105 | 3.1% | 344,065 | 16 | +1 |
| Pará | 17 | 3.3% | 7,443,904 | 4.0% | 437,877 | 21 | –4 |
| Santa Catarina | 16 | 3.1% | 6,178,603 | 3.3% | 386,163 | 17 | –1 |
| Paraíba | 12 | 2.3% | 3,753,633 | 2.0% | 312,803 | 10 | +2 |
| Espírito Santo | 10 | 1.9% | 3,392,775 | 1.8% | 339,278 | 9 | +1 |
| Piauí | 10 | 1.9% | 3,086,448 | 1.7% | 308,645 | 9 | +1 |
| Alagoas | 9 | 1.7% | 3,093,994 | 1.7% | 343,777 | 9 | 0 |
| Acre | 8 | 1.6% | 707,125 | 0.4% | 88,391 | 2 | +6 |
| Amazonas | 8 | 1.6% | 3,350,773 | 1.8% | 418,847 | 9 | –1 |
| Amapá | 8 | 1.6% | 648,553 | 0.3% | 81,069 | 2 | +6 |
| Distrito Federal | 8 | 1.6% | 2,469,489 | 1.3% | 308,686 | 7 | +1 |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 8 | 1.6% | 2,404,256 | 1.3% | 300,532 | 7 | +1 |
| Mato Grosso | 8 | 1.6% | 2,954,625 | 1.6% | 369,328 | 8 | 0 |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 8 | 1.6% | 3,121,451 | 1.7% | 390,181 | 9 | –1 |
| Rondônia | 8 | 1.6% | 1,535,625 | 0.8% | 191,953 | 4 | +4 |
| Roraima | 8 | 1.6% | 425,398 | 0.2% | 53,175 | 1 | +7 |
| Sergipe | 8 | 1.6% | 2,036,227 | 1.1% | 254,528 | 6 | +2 |
| Tocantins | 8 | 1.6% | 1,373,551 | 0.7% | 171,694 | 4 | +4 |
| Total | 513 | 100% | 185,712,713 | 100% | 362,013 | 514 | –2 |
Present composition
| Party | Floor leader | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Altineu Côrtes | 99 | |
| Brazil of Hope | Zeca Dirceu | 81 | |
| Brazil Union | Elmar Nascimento | 59 | |
| Progressistas | André Fufuca | 47 | |
| Brazilian Democratic Movement | Isnaldo Bulhões Junior | 42 | |
| Social Democratic | Antonio Brito | 42 | |
| Republicanos | Hugo Motta | 40 | |
| Always Forward | Adolfo Viana | 18 | |
| Democratic Labour | André Figueiredo | 17 | |
| Brazilian Socialist | Felipe Carreras | 14 | |
| PSOL REDE Federation | Guilherme Boulos | 14 | |
| Podemos | Fábio Macedo | 12 | |
| Avante | Luis Tibé | 7 | |
| Social Christian | 6 | ||
| Patriota | Fred Costa | 4 | |
| Republican Party of the Social Order | 4 | ||
| Solidariedade | Aureo Ribeiro | 4 | |
| New | Adriana Ventura | 3 | |
| Brazilian Labour | Carlos Roberto Rodrigues | 1 | |
| Total | 513 | ||
Partisan blocs composition
Partisan bloc leadership is organized into the following roles:
- Government Leader: elected by members of the party of the Cabinet in the Chamber to speak on behalf of the cabinet
- Majority Leader: elected by the leaders of the majority bloc in the Chamber, usually in support of the Cabinet
- Opposition Leader: elected by the members of the largest party in opposition to the Cabinet
- Minority Leader: elected by the leaders of the minority bloc, usually in opposition to the Cabinet
| Bloc | Deputies | Leader |
|---|---|---|
| Government | 187 | José Guimarães (PT-CE) |
| Majority | – | |
| Opposition | 102 | Carlos Jordy (PL-RJ) |
| Minority | 99 | Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) |
Bodies
The House of Deputies is composed of the Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil by College Leaders and the Commissions, which can be permanent, temporary, or special inquiry.
Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
The current composition of the Board of the Chamber of Deputies is the following:
President: Arthur Lira (PP-AL)
1st Vice President: Marcos Pereira (Republicanos-SP)
2nd Vice President: Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ)
1st Secretary: Luciano Bivar (UNIÃO-PE)
2nd Secretary: Maria do Rosário (PT-RS)
3rd Secretary: Júlio Cesar (PSD-PI)
4th Secretary: Lucio Mosquini (MDB-RO)
1st Substitute: Gilberto Nascimento (PSC-SP)
2nd Substitute: Pompeo de Mattos (PDT-RS)
3rd Substitute: Beto Pereira (PSDB-MS)
4th Substitute: André Ferreira (PL-PE)
Standing committees
On 6 March 2012, was defined division of committees between parties. The House President, Marco Maia, believes that the proportionality between the parties / blocs must take into account the data of the last election. Thus, PT and PMDB, with the highest benches, were three committees (the PT made the choice first). DEM and PSDB, the two largest opposition, were two commissions each.[4] On the other hand, PSD, most harmed by this decision, filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court (STF) trying to reverse this decision.[5]
The chair of the committee, was defined as follows:[6]
| Committee | Chair |
|---|---|
| Administration and Public Service | |
| Agriculture, Livestock, Supply and Rural Development | |
| Amazon and Originary and Traditional People | |
| Communication | |
| Consumer Defence | |
| Constitution, Justice and Citizenship | |
| Culture | |
| Defense of Women Rights | |
| Defense of Elderly Rights | |
| Defense of People with Disabilities Rights | |
| Economic Development | |
| Education | |
| Environment and Sustainable Development | |
| Ethics and Parliamentary Decorum | |
| Finances and Taxation | |
| Financial Oversight and Control | |
| Foreign Affairs and National Defence | |
| Health | |
| Human Rights, Minorities and Racial Equality | |
| Industry, Trade and Services | |
| Labour | |
| Mines and Energy | |
| National Integration and Regional Development | |
| Participative Legislation | |
| Public Security and Fight Against Organized Crime | |
| Roads and Transports | |
| Science, Technology and Innovation | |
| Social Security, Social Assistance, Childhood, Adolescence and Family | |
| Sports | |
| Tourism | |
| Urban Development |
See also
- Federal institutions of Brazil
- 56th Legislature of the National Congress
- National Congress of Brazil
- Federal Senate
Notes
-
- PT (69)
- PCdoB (6)
- PV (6)
-
- PSOL (13)
- REDE (1)
References
- "A configuração da Câmara após a investida de Bolsonaro". Câmara (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- "Conheça o valor do salário de um deputado e demais verbas parlamentares - Notícias". Chamber of Deputies of Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 5 October 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Com dura cláusula de barreira, metade das siglas corre risco de acabar". O Tempo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 12 July 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- Finch, Nathalia (6 March 2012), G1,
defines the distribution of the standing committees
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Santos, Deborah (27 February 2012), G1,
going to have the Supreme Command of committees in the House
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - "Definidos os partidos dos presidentes das comissões; veja os nomes já indicados". Câmara dos Deputados (in Portuguese). 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.