General Assembly (Brazil)

Bicameral parliament of the Empire of Brazil

General Assembly of the Empire of Brazil

Assembleia Geral do Império do Brasil

Type
Type|

Bicameral

Houses| Senate
Chamber of Deputies
History
Founded| 6 May 1826 (1826-05-06)
Succeeded by| National Congress
Leadership

President of the Senate

Marquess of Santo Amaro (first)
Paulino de Sousa (last)

President of the Chamber of Deputies

Pereira da Nóbrega (first)
Baron of Lucena (last)

Seats| 125 deputies and 50 senators[1]
Elections

Last Senate election

| 1889 (The Constitution determined that the Prince Imperial of Brazil would have a seat in the senate when he turned 25[2] and the election to the senate took place on a triple list from which of the 3 most voted the emperor made one official).

Last Chamber election

| 1889
Meeting place
Painting by Robert Walsh showing the Chamber of Deputies in 1830.
Constitution
Brazilian Constitution of 1824

The General Assembly was the bicameral parliament of the Empire of Brazil. Article 14 of the Imperial Constitution established the General Assembly, which consisted of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) and the Senate (upper house).[3][4]

Once the General Legislative Assembly had been convened, the first preparatory session of the Chamber of Deputies took place on April 29, 1826, and the opening session of the first legislature (joint meeting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Senators) took place on May 6 of the same year.[4]

## Assembly operations

[edit]

Official attire of Brazilian Senators in the 19th and early 20th centuries, made official by Imperial Decree No. 266 of January 19, 1843 (Imperial Museum Yearbook, 1950 edition)[5]

The Constitution already expressly provided the possibility of the two chambers meeting together. The first of these meetings was for the swearing in of the Emperor, as well as the Regents, when this was the case, due to the monarch being underage or interdicted. The election of the Regent was also provided. Another possibility was the annual opening and closing sessions of the General Assembly, called imperial because of the Emperor's attendance. Finally, there would be a meeting of both Chambers when there was a disagreement over a proposition.

## Elections and length of term

[edit]

His Majesty the Emperor and the Chamber of Deputies in 1866, lithograph by Carlos Linde. Stamp of the Chamber of Deputies in May 1888.

Senators and Deputies were elected indirectly until the electoral reform of 1881, when they were elected directly. The Senators were chosen in a direct election in which those voted for made up a triple list and from this the Emperor, as determined by the Brazilian Constitution of 1824, appointed one of the 3 who would have a lifetime mandate.[6] The Deputies were elected by the electoral Parishes and had a 3-year term.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ The Senate in the Empire. Senado.leg.br. Accessed on 15 October 2022 (in Portuguese).
2. ^ Political Constitution Of The Empire Of Brazil (March 25, 1824)
3. ^ "Sobre o Congresso Nacional" [About the National Congress]. Congresso Nacional (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2017-12-31.
4. ^ a b "O Império do Brasil" [The Empire of Brazil]. Portal da Câmara dos Deputados. (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
5. ^ "Legislação Federal - Senado Federal" [Federal Legislation - Federal Senate]. legis.senado.leg.br. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
6. ^ CAMPOS, Flávio de (org); CLARO, Regina; DOLHNIKOFF, Miriam. História nos dias de hoje – 8º ano. (in Brazilian Portuguese) 2ª edition. São Paulo: Leya, 2015, page 151. ISBN 9788545101198
7. ^ "Constituição de 1824: contexto e determinações" [Constitution of 1824: context and determinations]. Brasil Escola (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-12-30.

* Brazil portal