Brazilian constitutional referendum, 1963
Encyclopedia
The Brazil
ian constitutional referendum of 1963 was held to establish the form of government.
on August 25, 1961 and the resistance of the Armed Forces and the upper class
to allow left-wing Vice-President João Goulart
to take office, a serious crisis, that almost resulted in a civil war, occurred in Brazil. Goulart, who had been on an official visit to the People's Republic of China
, was forbidden to land in the country.
Due to Goulart's massive popular support, the Brazilian Congress, to avoid aggravating the political crisis, proposed an amendment to the 1946 Constitution, changing the form of government from presidentialism to parliamentarism, to reduce the actual powers of the President. The amendment was approved and the military suspended their veto over Goulart, which took office on Independence Day
, 1961.
The Brazilian parliamentarism, based on the German
model, did not work well, due to the hurry of which the amendment was approved. The ambitions of Goulart and his rivals Juscelino Kubitschek and Carlos Lacerda
(both seeking to become President on the following elections, predicted to 1965) also contributed to the failure of parliamentarism.
In less than two years, there were three prime-ministers:
On the referendum, which had a turn out of 63%, Parliamentarism was overwhelmingly defeated, with 80% of voters choosing "no". Goulart, having achieved full presidential powers, started his Basic Reforms plan (Reformas de Base), which lead into a military coup d'état
on late April 1964.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian constitutional referendum of 1963 was held to establish the form of government.
Historical context
Following the resignation of Jânio QuadrosJânio Quadros
Jânio da Silva Quadros , , was a Brazilian politician who served as President of Brazil for only 7 months in 1961.-Career:...
on August 25, 1961 and the resistance of the Armed Forces and the upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
to allow left-wing Vice-President João Goulart
João Goulart
João Belchior Marques Goulart was a Brazilian politician and the 24th President of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on April 1, 1964. He is considered to have been the last left-wing President of the country until Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2003.-Name:João Goulart is...
to take office, a serious crisis, that almost resulted in a civil war, occurred in Brazil. Goulart, who had been on an official visit to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, was forbidden to land in the country.
Due to Goulart's massive popular support, the Brazilian Congress, to avoid aggravating the political crisis, proposed an amendment to the 1946 Constitution, changing the form of government from presidentialism to parliamentarism, to reduce the actual powers of the President. The amendment was approved and the military suspended their veto over Goulart, which took office on Independence Day
Brazilian Declaration of Independence
The Brazilian Independence comprised a series of political events occurred in 1821–1823, most of which involved disputes between Brazil and Portugal regarding the call for independence presented by the Brazilian Kingdom...
, 1961.
The Brazilian parliamentarism, based on the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
model, did not work well, due to the hurry of which the amendment was approved. The ambitions of Goulart and his rivals Juscelino Kubitschek and Carlos Lacerda
Carlos Lacerda
Carlos Frederico Werneck de Lacerda was a Brazilian journalist and politician.Born in Rio de Janeiro, Lacerda was the son of a family of politicians from Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro State....
(both seeking to become President on the following elections, predicted to 1965) also contributed to the failure of parliamentarism.
In less than two years, there were three prime-ministers:
- Tancredo NevesTancredo NevesTancredo de Almeida Neves, SFO more commonly Tancredo Neves was a Brazilian politician. He was born in São João del Rey, in the state of Minas Gerais, of mostly Portuguese, but also Austrian descent and graduated in law. The Neves family name comes from an Azorean great great grandfather...
– from September 7, 1961 to July 12, 1962 - Brochado da Rocha – from July 12, 1962 to September 18, 1962
- Hermes LimaHermes LimaHermes Lima was a former Prime Minister of Brazil, jurist, and winner of the 1975 Prêmio Machado de Assis.- Political career :...
– from September 18, 1962 to January 6, 1963
Result
The amendment predicted a referendum on 1965, which unlike elections would not be mandatory to all voters, to ratify the change of the regime, but Goulart managed to anticipate the referendum to January 6, 1963. It asked voters the following question: "Do you approve the amendment that established parliamentarism?" ("Aprova o ato adicional que instituiu o parlamentarismo?").On the referendum, which had a turn out of 63%, Parliamentarism was overwhelmingly defeated, with 80% of voters choosing "no". Goulart, having achieved full presidential powers, started his Basic Reforms plan (Reformas de Base), which lead into a military coup d'état
Brazilian military coup of 1964
The 1964 Brazilian coup d'état names a series of events that occurred on March 31, 1964 in Brazil that culminated with the overthrow of President João Goulart by the Armed Forces on April 1, 1964...
on late April 1964.
External links
- "The military and the 1963 referendum" by Demian Melo