Brazilian constitutional referendum, 1993
Encyclopedia
The 1993 Brazilian constitutional referendum was held on April 21, 1993 to determine the form of government
of the country. After the re-democratization of Brazil, an amendment in the new Constitution
determined the holding of a referendum for voters to decide if the country should have a republican
or a monarchical
regime ruled by a presidential
or a parliamentary
system. The bill N° 8.624, signed into law by President Itamar Franco
on February 4, 1993, regulated the holding of the referendum.
An overwhelming majority of voters favoured the republican regime and the presidential system, as the country had been ruled for 104 years since the Proclamation of the Republic on November 15, 1889 - apart from a brief parliamentarian experience between 1961 and 1963, which had also been defeated in a referendum
. In spite of heavy campaigning on TV and radio, turnout
was relatively small (74.3%), considering that voting is compulsory
in the country.
Antônio Henrique Bittencourt da Cunha Bueno (from São Paulo
's Social Democratic Party
), a member of the Constituent Assembly which approved the Constitution
which put an end to the military regime. A monarchist since a child, and son of Antônio Sílvio Cunha Bueno, one of SDP's founders in São Paulo, he decided to propose to his fellow deputies the hold of a referendum to give the people the possibility to choose the form of government
they preferred. His main argument was that during the reign of Pedro II
, Brazil had lived a period of great stability. Surprisingly, the amendment which he proposed was included in the new Constitution.
On May 1992, Bueno launched the Parliamentary Monarchist Movement alongside Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
, then head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial Family and one of the two claimants to the Brazilian throne
. According to him, only petistas
were able to rival the monarchist militancy. On February 4, 1993, President Itamar Franco
signed into law the bill N° 8.624, which regulated the holding of the referendum.
, PFL, PMDB and PTB
formed the so-called Presidential Front on one side and the Parliamentary Front (PSDB) at the other side in order to oppose the ambitions of royalist
groups. In spite of the outstanding defeat obtained by the monarchist movement, their slogan
Vote for the king became one of the most well-known in the history of Brazilian electoral campaigns.
Form of government
A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
of the country. After the re-democratization of Brazil, an amendment in the new Constitution
Constitution of Brazil
During its independent political history, Brazil has had seven constitutions. The most recent was ratified on October 5, 1988.-Imperial Constitution :Background...
determined the holding of a referendum for voters to decide if the country should have a republican
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
or a monarchical
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
regime ruled by a presidential
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
or a parliamentary
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
system. The bill N° 8.624, signed into law by President Itamar Franco
Itamar Franco
Itamar Augusto Cautiero Franco was a Brazilian politician and the President of Brazil from December 29, 1992, to January 1, 1995. During his long political career, Franco was also a Senator, Mayor, Ambassador, Governor and Vice President...
on February 4, 1993, regulated the holding of the referendum.
An overwhelming majority of voters favoured the republican regime and the presidential system, as the country had been ruled for 104 years since the Proclamation of the Republic on November 15, 1889 - apart from a brief parliamentarian experience between 1961 and 1963, which had also been defeated in a referendum
Brazilian constitutional referendum, 1963
The Brazilian constitutional referendum of 1963 was held to establish the form of government.-Historical context:Following the resignation of Jânio Quadros 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...
. In spite of heavy campaigning on TV and radio, turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was relatively small (74.3%), considering that voting is compulsory
Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
in the country.
Origin
The attempted resurrection of the imperial regime came from federal deputyChamber of Deputies of Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
Antônio Henrique Bittencourt da Cunha Bueno (from São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
's Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Brazil)
The Social Democratic Party was a liberal political party in Brazil between 1945 and 1965. Founded as a center-right party by Getúlio Vargas together with the left-leaning Brazilian Labour Party, it elected Presidents Eurico Gaspar Dutra in 1945 and Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira in 1955...
), a member of the Constituent Assembly which approved the Constitution
Constitution of Brazil
During its independent political history, Brazil has had seven constitutions. The most recent was ratified on October 5, 1988.-Imperial Constitution :Background...
which put an end to the military regime. A monarchist since a child, and son of Antônio Sílvio Cunha Bueno, one of SDP's founders in São Paulo, he decided to propose to his fellow deputies the hold of a referendum to give the people the possibility to choose the form of government
Form of government
A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
they preferred. His main argument was that during the reign of Pedro II
Pedro II of Brazil
Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...
, Brazil had lived a period of great stability. Surprisingly, the amendment which he proposed was included in the new Constitution.
On May 1992, Bueno launched the Parliamentary Monarchist Movement alongside Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza
Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was one of two claimants to the Brazilian throne and head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial House.-Biography:Prince Pedro Gastão was the son of Prince Pedro de Alcântara...
, then head of the Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian Imperial Family and one of the two claimants to the Brazilian throne
Line of succession to the Brazilian throne
The Brazilian monarchy came to an end on November 15, 1889, following a military coup which overthrew Emperor Dom Pedro II. The current Brazilian Imperial Family is split into two branches: the Petrópolis and the Vassouras...
. According to him, only petistas
Workers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
were able to rival the monarchist militancy. On February 4, 1993, President Itamar Franco
Itamar Franco
Itamar Augusto Cautiero Franco was a Brazilian politician and the President of Brazil from December 29, 1992, to January 1, 1995. During his long political career, Franco was also a Senator, Mayor, Ambassador, Governor and Vice President...
signed into law the bill N° 8.624, which regulated the holding of the referendum.
Campaign
According to some polling institutes, the monarchist campaign was able to obtain the support of 22% of the voters in 1992. Concerned about this, the main political parties at that time, such as PTWorkers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
, PFL, PMDB and PTB
Brazilian Labour Party (current)
The Brazilian Labour Party is a center-right political party in Brazil founded in 1981 by Ivete Vargas, niece of President Getúlio Vargas. It claims the legacy of the historical PTB, although many historians reject this because the early version of PTB was a center-left party with wide support in...
formed the so-called Presidential Front on one side and the Parliamentary Front (PSDB) at the other side in order to oppose the ambitions of royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
groups. In spite of the outstanding defeat obtained by the monarchist movement, their slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
Vote for the king became one of the most well-known in the history of Brazilian electoral campaigns.
Valid votes
| Monarchist regime: 6,843,196 (13.4%) |
Republican regime: 44,266,608 (86.6%) |
||
| ▲ |
| Parliamentary system: 16,518,028 (30.8%) |
Presidential system: 37,156,884 (69.2%) |
||
| ▲ |
Total votes
| Government regime | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Votes | % of votes |
 Republic A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of... |
44,266,608 | 66.0 |
 Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected... |
6,843,196 | 10.2 |
| Blank | 7,030,815 | 10.5 |
| Null | 8,869,790 | 13.2 |
| Total | 67,010,409 | 100 |
| Abstention Abstention Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by... |
23,265,770 (25.7% of voters) |
|
| Government system | ||
|---|---|---|
| System | Votes | % of votes |
| Presidential system A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it.... |
37,156,884 | 55.4 |
| Parliamentary system A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined.... |
16,518,028 | 24.6 |
| Blank | 3,467,181 | 5.2 |
| Null | 9,868,316 | 14.7 |
| Total | 67,010,409 | 100 |
| Abstention Abstention Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by... |
23,246,143 (25.7% of voters) |
|
State results
| State | Monarchy | Republic | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acre Acre (state) Acre is one of the 27 states of Brazil. It is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. It occupies an area of 152,581.4 km2, being slightly smaller... |
237,001 | 102,191 | 11,292 | 90,520 | 14,376 | 18,622 | |||||
| Alagoas Alagoas Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti... |
1,041,236 | 325,352 | 64,326 | 414,747 | 142,350 | 94,461 | |||||
| Amapá Amapá Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once... |
169,409 | 73,832 | 8,838 | 72.743 | 5,554 | 8,442 | |||||
| Amazonas | 1,012,167 | 470,406 | 63,575 | 394,427 | 33,207 | 50,552 | |||||
| Bahia Bahia Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size... |
6,701,268 | 3,052,930 | 247,454 | 2,371,859 | 494,347 | 534,678 | |||||
| Ceará Ceará Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of... |
3,809,457 | 1,332,959 | 212,748 | 1,655,965 | 295,062 | 312,723 | |||||
| Espírito Santo Espírito Santo Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity... |
1,618,431 | 382,081 | 134,398 | 773,667 | 188,417 | 139,868 | |||||
| Federal District | 908,429 | 144,507 | 69,552 | 550,285 | 94,667 | 49,418 | |||||
| Goiás Goiás Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community... |
2,514,553 | 766,846 | 174,937 | 1,171,341 | 215,623 | 185,806 | |||||
| Maranhão Maranhão Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent... |
2,590,598 | 1,518,669 | 63,094 | 799,739 | 85,181 | 123,915 | |||||
| Mato Grosso Mato Grosso Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest... |
1,196,767 | 480,481 | 75,689 | 477,506 | 73,411 | 89,680 | |||||
| Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising... |
1,127,470 | 288,838 | 92,456 | 559,890 | 96,569 | 89,717 | |||||
| Minas Gerais Minas Gerais Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the... |
10,116,428 | 2,258,639 | 731,714 | 4,993,712 | 1,200,918 | 931,445 | |||||
| Pará Pará Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state... |
2,616,490 | 1,260,558 | 153,898 | 922,941 | 113,001 | 166,092 | |||||
| Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east... |
1,986,739 | 660,655 | 82,876 | 866,191 | 201,175 | 175,842 | |||||
| Paraná Paraná (state) Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,... |
5,495,947 | 1,189,892 | 420,276 | 2,855,862 | 611,048 | 418,869 | |||||
| Pernambuco Pernambuco Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the... |
4,247,205 | 1,357,513 | 222,020 | 1,787,302 | 481,357 | 399,013 | |||||
| Piauí Piauí Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland... |
1,857,832 | 613,604 | 48,059 | 951,774 | 103,191 | 141,204 | |||||
| Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (state) Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast... |
8,732,024 | 1,541,654 | 938,964 | 4,821,310 | 842,977 | 587,119 | |||||
| Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal... |
1,417,805 | 441,848 | 58,936 | 620,418 | 170,266 | 126,337 | |||||
| Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine... |
6,069,273 | 941,185 | 372,469 | 3,835,721 | 403,378 | 516,520 | |||||
| Rondônia Rondônia Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon... |
661,331 | 331,660 | 37,226 | 213,098 | 35,000 | 44,347 | |||||
| Roraima Roraima Roraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista... |
101,947 | 42,465 | 5,121 | 43,872 | 4,093 | 6,396 | |||||
| Santa Catarina Santa Catarina (state) Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by... |
2,974,926 | 507,669 | 272,577 | 1,611,149 | 343,173 | 240,328 | |||||
| São Paulo São Paulo (state) São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil... |
19,812,705 | 2,538,737 | 2,210,203 | 11,109,007 | 2,487,620 | 1,467,136 | |||||
| Sergipe Sergipe Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean... |
891,788 | 291,995 | 48,252 | 372,350 | 109,413 | 69,778 | |||||
| Tocantins Tocantins Tocantins may refer to:* Tocantins, a state in Brazil* Tocantins River, a river in Brazil* Survivor: Tocantins, a reality show set in Tocantins, Brazil* Tocantins Esporte Clube, a Brazilian football club... |
621,900 | 348,574 | 19,601 | 191,524 | 23,442 | 38,759 |