"Semi-presidentialism is on the agenda for 2025," says Gilmar Mendes.
The minister stated that the Supreme Court will need to address the issue this year. At the same event, Michel Temer advocated for ending reelection.
247 - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes declared this Thursday (23) that the adoption of semi-presidentialism in Brazil will be one of the central themes in 2025. The statement was made during a business forum in Switzerland, according to information from CNN BrazilThe minister highlighted that the country's current presidential system has significant flaws, such as the use of parliamentary amendments, which, according to him, are implemented "without any accountability" by members of Congress.
Gilmar Mendes recalled previous debates about semi-presidentialism, citing Michel Temer (MDB) as one of the interlocutors in this discussion. “There are institutional reforms that also need to be discussed. Michel [Temer], I, and others discussed this in Brazil a while back and we even formulated a project for semi-presidentialism. […] It’s a topic that is certainly already on the 2025 agenda and one that we will have to address,” he stated.
What is semi-presidentialism? In this model of government, the President of the Republic shares power with a Prime Minister, chosen by the National Congress. While the President acts as Head of State, representing the country at international events and performing diplomatic functions, the Prime Minister would be responsible for leading the government and managing public policies. The proposal seeks, among other things, to redistribute responsibilities among the branches of government and reduce the political instability generated by the current system.
Criticism of parliamentary amendments reflects one of the reasons for interest in semi-presidentialism. Currently, parliamentarians can direct resources to specific projects without adequate accountability, which, according to Gilmar, creates a "system in which the Legislative branch exercises functions typical of the Executive branch." The adoption of the new model, in the minister's view, would be a way to promote greater efficiency and transparency in public administration.
On the other hand, semi-presidentialism also presents negative aspects. There is a risk of political instability due to potential conflicts between the president and the prime minister, especially in scenarios of partisan divergence. The division of responsibilities can increase administrative complexity and hinder the coordination of public policies, in addition to generating excessive bureaucracy. The model depends on stable parliamentary coalitions, which is challenging in fragmented systems like Brazil's, and can result in frequent government crises with constant changes of prime minister. The lack of clarity about the roles of leaders can confuse the population, while the transition to the system requires profound and lengthy institutional reforms. In some cases, there may be a concentration of power in Congress, weakening the role of the president.
Support from other names - The advocacy for changes in the model of government is not new among members of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and political leaders. In 2023, the president of the STF, Luís Roberto Barroso, also considered semi-presidentialism a viable alternative. "Semi-presidentialism is an alternative that I myself am considering. A way to stabilize democracy," Barroso stated at an event that year.
The topic was already on the agenda in the Chamber of Deputies in 2022, when a working group was created to assess the possibility of changing the system of government. At the time, the initiative came from the president of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).
Michel Temer proposes ending reelection. During the same event, Temer echoed the Supreme Court Justice in advocating for broader institutional changes. Temer criticized the reelection model, stating that it "brings no benefit to Brazil." He believes that adopting a single five- or six-year term would be more advantageous. He shared an experience from his term that, according to him, illustrates the need for reforms: "At the beginning of the government, one of the members of the Economic and Social Development Council told me: 'President, take advantage of your unpopularity and do what Brazil needs.' Since he thought I wouldn't run for reelection, I should do what Brazil needed, and I kept that thought to myself."
The proposal to end reelection is also supported by the president of the National Congress, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), who has already expressed his intention to push this agenda in the Legislature when he concludes his presidency in February 2025.
