Constitution of the Empire of Brazil

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Chapter
The General Assembly

Part I: General

Section 1. Legislative power shall be vested in the General Assembly, which shall consist of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

Section 2. The Emperor may appoint such times for holding the sessions of the General Assembly as he thinks fit, and may also from time to time, by proclamation or otherwise, prorogue the General Assembly, and may in like manner dissolve the Chamber of Deputies.

Section 3. After any general election the General Assembly shall be summoned to meet not later than thirty days and not sooner than fifteen days after the day appointed for the return of the writs.

Section 4. There shall be a session of the General Assembly once at least in every year, so that twelve months shall not intervene between the last sitting of the General Assembly in one session and its first sitting in the next session.

Part II: The Senate

Section 1. The Senate shall consist of:

(a) 210 senators nominated by the Emperor of whom fifteen shall be nominated from each province; and

(b) Princes of the Brazilian Imperial House, who are senators by right and shall assume office upon reaching the age of twenty-five.

Section 2. (1) The senators nominated by the Emperor in terms of paragraph (a) of Section (1) shall hold their seats for eight years.

(2) The Emperor shall when nominating senators act on the advice of the sitting members of the legislature of the province for which the senator is being nominated.

(3) If the seat of a senator so nominated becomes vacant, the Emperor shall nominate, on the advice of the legislature of the province concerned, another person to hold the seat until the completion of the period for which the person in whose stead he is nominated, would have held the seat.

(4) No person shall be qualified to be nominated as a senator in terms of paragraph (a) of Section (1) unless he:

(a) is at least forty years of age;

(b) is qualified to be registered as a voter for the election of members of the Chamber of Deputies in the province concerned;

(c) has resided for five years within the limits of the province concerned; and

(d) is a citizen of the Empire in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights.

Section 3. (1) The senators referred to in paragraph (b) of Section (1) shall hold their seats for life, provided that they are not subject to any of the disabilities mentioned in Section (4) of Part IV of this Chapter.

(2) Upon assuming office, each senator referred to in paragraph (b) of Section (1) shall cease to be a member of any political party, and shall be ineligible for membership in any political party so long as he holds his seat in the Senate.

Section 4. (1) The Senate shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, choose a Senator to be President of the Senate, and as often as the office of President becomes vacant the Senate shall again choose a Senator to be the President.

(2) The President of the Senate shall cease to hold office if he ceases to be a senator and he may be removed from office by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Senate, or he may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the Emperor and delivered to the Prime Minister resign his office.

(3) Prior to or during the absence of the President of the Senate, the Senate may choose a Senator to perform his duties in his absence.

Section 5. (1) A Senator may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President of the Senate, resign his seat, which thereupon shall become vacant.

(2) Whenever the seat of a senator becomes vacant, the Emperor shall as soon as practicable cause steps to be taken to have the vacancy filled.

Section 6. All questions in the Senate shall be determined by a majority of votes of Senators present other than the President of the Senate or the presiding Senator, who shall, however, have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

Part III: The Chamber of Deputies

Section 1. The Chamber of Deputies shall be composed of 513 members, called deputies, directly chosen by the voters of the Empire as hereinafter provided.

Section 2. (1) Deputies shall be elected for constituencies that shall be geographically defined by law. The law may create plurinominal and uninominal constituencies and lay down the nature and complementarity thereof, all in such a way as to ensure that votes are converted into seats in accordance with the proportional representation system and using d’Hondt’s highest-average rule.

(2) With the exception of the national constituency, if any, the number of deputies for each plurinominal constituency in Brazilian territory shall be proportional to the number of citizens registered to vote therein.

(3) Nominations shall be submitted by political parties as laid down by law. Parties may submit such nominations individually or in coalition and their lists of candidates may include citizens who are not registered members of any of the parties in question.

(4) No one shall be a candidate for more than one constituency of the same nature, with the exception of the national constituency, if any. No one may appear on more than one list.

(5) The law shall not limit the conversion of votes into seats by requiring a minimum national percentage of votes cast.

(6) Deputies shall represent not only their constituencies but the entire nation. No deputy shall be held to a mandatory mandate. Deputies shall act on the basis of the Constitution and the laws and in accordance with their conscience and convictions.

Section 3. No person shall be qualified to be elected as a deputy unless he:

(a) is at least twenty-five years of age;

(b) is qualified to be registered as a voter for the election of members of the Chamber of Deputies in one of the provinces;

(c) has resided for two years within the limits of the constituency concerned; and

(d) is a citizen of the Empire in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights.

Section 4. (1) Every Chamber of Deputies shall continue for four years from the first meeting thereof, and no longer, but may at any time be dissolved by the Emperor by proclamation.

(2) A general election of members of the Chamber of Deputies shall be held on such day within a period not exceeding four months after the issue of a proclamation dissolving the Chamber of Deputies as the Emperor may in that proclamation fix.

(3) At any general election of members of the Chamber of Deputies, all polls shall be taken on one and the same day in all the constituencies throughout the Empire.

(4) After any general election the Chamber of Deputies shall assemble not later than thirty days after the day appointed for the return of the writs.

Section 5. (1) The registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the Superior Electoral Court.

(2) The hearing of objections raised against the validity of elections to the Chamber of Deputies and their verification concerning either electoral violations related to the conduct of the elections, or the lack of legal qualifications, is assigned to the Superior Electoral Court.

Section 6. (1) The Chamber of Deputies shall, before proceeding to the dispatch of any other business, choose a deputy to be President of the Chamber of Deputies, and as often as the office of President becomes vacant the Chamber of Deputies shall again choose a deputy to be the President.

(2) The President of the Chamber of Deputies shall cease to hold office if he ceases to be a deputy and he may be removed from office by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Chamber of Deputies, or he may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the Emperor and delivered to the Prime Minister resign his office.

(3) Prior to or during the absence of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, the Chamber may choose a deputy to perform his duties in his absence.

Section 7. (1) A deputy may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, resign his seat, which thereupon shall become vacant.

(2) Whenever the seat of a deputy becomes vacant, whether in consequence of his resignation or otherwise, the Emperor shall, as soon as practicable, call an election in the constituency from which that deputy was elected, to elect a successor. The person elected to succeed that deputy shall hold his seat until the completion of the period for which the person in whose stead he was elected would have held the seat.

Section 8. All questions in the Chamber of Deputies shall be determined by a majority of votes of deputies present other than the President of the Chamber of Deputies or the presiding deputy, who shall, however, have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

Part IV: Both Chambers of the General Assembly

Section 1. Every senator and every deputy shall, before taking his seat, make and subscribe before the Emperor, or some person authorized by him, an oath in the following form:

"I, A.B., do hereby swear (or affirm) to be faithful to His Imperial and Royal Majesty the Emperor, to hold my office with honor and dignity, to respect and uphold the Constitution and all other laws of the Empire, to consecrate myself to the service of the nation, and to perform the duties of my office conscientiously and to the best of my ability. So help me God."

(In case of affirmation, the last sentence will be omitted)

Section 2. Notwithstanding any dissolution of the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies, whether by effluxion of time or otherwise:

(a) every person who at the date of the dissolution is a member of the body concerned shall remain a member thereof;

(b) the said body shall remain competent to perform its functions; and

(c) the Emperor shall have power to summon the General Assembly for the dispatch of business,

during the period following such dissolution up to and including the day immediately preceding the polling day for the election held in pursuance of such dissolution, in the same manner in all respects as if the dissolution had not occurred.

Section 3. No one may serve as a senator and a deputy simultaneously. A member of the Senate who is elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies shall vacate his seat as a senator with effect from the date on which he becomes a member of the Chamber of Deputies. A member of the Chamber of Deputies who is nominated as a senator shall vacate his seat as a deputy with effect from the date on which he becomes a member of the Senate.

Section 4. (1) No person shall be capable of being elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies or of being nominated as a member of the Senate if he:

(a) has voluntarily acquired citizenship of a country other than Brazil or has made a declaration of allegiance to such a country; or

(b) has not completed secondary education or the equivalent; or

(c) is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind by a competent court; or

(d) is an undischarged bankrupt, having been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in any part of the Empire; or

(e) is a member of the public service of the Empire or the public service of a province, a member of the armed forces, or the holder of any other office or emolument under the Empire; or

(f) is under a sentence of imprisonment exceeding six months imposed on him by such a court or substituted by competent authority for some other sentence imposed on him by such a court.

(2) A senator or a deputy shall vacate his seat if he becomes subject to any of the disabilities mentioned in the previous subsection.

Section 5.

Chapter III Council of State

Article 144 Definition The Council of State is the political advisory body of the President of the Republic.

Article 145 Membership The Council of State is presided over by the President of the Republic and comprises the following members: a) The President of the Assembly of the Republic; b) The Prime Minister; c) The President of the Constitutional Court; d) The Ombudsman; e) The Chairmen of the regional governments; f) The former presidents of the Republic elected under the Constitution and who were not removed from office; g) Five citizens appointed by the President of the Republic for the period corresponding to his term of office; h) Five citizens elected by the Assembly of the Republic in accordance with the principle of proportional representation for the period corresponding to the duration of the legislative period.

Article 146 Induction and Term of Office

(1) The members of the Council of State are inducted by the President of the Republic. (2) The Members of the Council of State mentioned in Article 145 (a) to (e) perform their duties as long as they hold the respective offices. (3) The members of the Council of State mentioned in Article 145 (g) and (h) continue to perform their duties until the induction of those replacing them in the respective offices.

Article 147 Organization and Functioning

(1) It is the duty of the Council of State to draw up its own rules of procedure. (2) The meetings of the Council of State are not public.

Article 148 Powers The Council of State has the powers to: a) State its opinion on the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic and the organs of self-government of the autonomous regions; b) State its opinion on the dismissal of the Government under the circumstances mentioned in Article 198 (2); c) State its opinion on the appointment and dismissal of the Ministers for the Republic for the autonomous regions; d) State its opinion on declaration of war or the making of peace; e) State its opinion on the acts of the President of the Republic ad interim mentioned in Article 142; f) State its opinion on all other cases provided for in the Constitution and, in general, advise the President of the Republic on the exercise of his or her functions upon request of the latter.

Article 149 Giving of Opinions The opinions of the Council of State mentioned in Article 148 (a) to (e) are to be given at the meeting called for the purpose by the President of the Republic and made public at the time the acts they refer to are performed.