Brazilian presidential inauguration

Rio de Janeiro was the Brazilian capital until the construction of Brasília in 1960.


The ceremonies were different but had a similar format. They started at the seat of the Chamber of Deputies (housed at the Tiradentes Palace from 1926 until the transfer of the Capital to Brasília) where the president took the oath of office before a joint session of Congress and delivered an inaugural address. Using the ceremonial state car, he then proceeded in parade to the seat of the Presidency (the Catete Palace in the later years of Rio's history as Capital of the Republic). After receiving the presidential sash indoors, in the presence of dignitaries and guests assembled in one of the Halls of Catete Palace, the president appeared on the balcony and addressed the crowds. Some presidents, instead of appearing in the balcony to deliver the speech facing the people, chose to deliver the address in the same hall of the Catete Palace where the ceremonial transfer of the presidential sash took place (in the early days of the Republic, the president only took the oath before Congress, without delivering a speech in the presence of the Legislature; thus, in those days, the Catete Palace speech was the only inaugural address delivered by a new president; the later addition of a speech before Congress created the situation of the president delivering two speeches on inauguration day, a situation that continued after the Capital's transfer to Brasilia and that remains to this day). The new president then escorted the former president as he left the presidential palace. The appointments, greetings and reception were held at the Catete Palace.


In 1891, the first president and vice-president of the Republic were sworn-in at the Imperial Palace of St. Christopher, that in the First Brazilian Republic was known simply as Palace of the Quinta da Boa Vista (in reference to the park where the Palace stands). This Palace had been the residence of the Emperors of Brazil, and, after the military coup d'état that proclaimed Brazil a republic, it was chosen as the seat of the republican Constituent Congress (1890-1891) precisely because it had been one of the seats of the deposed Brazilian monarchy. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate assembled there for their joint sessions during the drafting of the Constitution, and also for the election and inauguration of the first president and vice-president. Afterwards, the Chamber of Deputies returned to its seat in the now demolished Paço da Cadeia (literally, Jail Palace), a building that stood in the same site now occupied by the Tiradentes Palace, and that had served as a jail in the colonial era and was reformed several times, first to serve as the seat of Rio's municipal chamber, then to serve as the seat of the 1823 Constituent Assembly, then to serve as seat of the Chamber of Deputies from 1826 onwards. Meanwhile, after the 1890-1891 Constituent Congress, the Senate was housed in the same building that served as its seat in the imperial era, the Paço do Senado (Senate Palace) - previously known as the Conde dos Arcos Palace when it was the private residence of a Portuguese count who had served as the last viceroy of Colonial Brazil - a building adjoining the Campo de Santana park, now officially known as the Republic Square. The Senate Palace now houses the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's National Faculty of Law. In 1922, the Senate was moved to the newly built Monroe Palace. As for the Chamber of Deputies, it was temporarily moved to the National Library of Brazil also in the year 1922, while its seat, the Paço da Cadeia was demolished, and work on the construction of Tiradentes Palace, its replacement situated in the same address, began. In 1926 the Tiradentes Palace was opened for business, and the Chamber of Deputies settled there, leaving behind its temporary quarters at the National Library. During the period when the Chamber of Deputies was temporarily housed in the National Library, joint sessions of Congress took place in the Senate's Monroe Palace. From 1926 onwards, joint sessions of Congress were held at the Tiradentes Palace. Accordingly, the presidential inaugurations from 1894 onwards were first held at the Paço da Cadeia (from the 1894 inauguration to the 1919 inauguration), then at the Monroe Palace (the 1922 inauguration only), and later at the Tiradentes Palace (from the 1926 inauguration to the 1956 inauguration).


As for the part of the inauguration ceremonies taking place at the seat of the Executive Branch, the Presidency was initially housed at Rio's Itamaraty Palace. The building, a former noble residence, served as the residence and workplace for the Head of the Provisional Government of the Republic from 1889 to 1891, and then, with the creation of the office of President of the Republic, it became the Presidency's seat from 1891 until 1898. Thereafter, the seat of Presidency of Brazil was moved to the Catete Palace, that served as the seat of the Presidency during two periods: between 1898 and 1926; and again between 1946 and 1960, when the newly built city of Brasilia became the Capital of Brazil. In 1898, after ceasing to be a presidential palace, the Itamaraty Palace became the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (when the Brazilian Capital was moved to Brasília the Ministry's Palace in that city was also given the name Itamaraty, that had by then become synonymous with the Brazilian foreign service). Rio's Itamaraty Palace today houses a branch office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Catete Palace is now a museum. From 1926 to 1946 the seat of the Presidency was housed in Guanabara Palace (that in the imperial era was built as the private home of the Princess Imperial Isabel, and became a government guesthouse after the proclamation of the Republic). In 1946 Guanabara Palace became the seat of the Mayor of the Federal District, and currently houses the State Government of Rio de Janeiro.


Back in the days when Rio was still the Capital of Brazil, all the acts of a planned inauguration, including the joint session of Congress for the swearing-in of a new president, were white tie events. After the 1960 transfer of the Brazilian capital to the newly built city of Brasilia, the inauguration of President Jânio Quadros in 1961 was the last inauguration during which all acts, including the joint session of Congress, were white tie events.

Inauguration Day[edit]

In the Old Republic era (Republica Velha), that lasted from 1889 until 1930, the Constitution adopted on 24 February 1891 established that the first presidential term would finish in 1894; the president and vice-president for the first presidential term would be elected by the Constituent Congress as soon as the Constitution was promulgated under the transitional provisions of that document (the first presidential inauguration took place on 26 February 1891). Subsequent presidents were, as per the permanent provisions of the Constitution, elected by direct popular ballot. Presidential elections were held on 1 March in the last year of a presidential term, and new presidents were inaugurated on 15 November (the anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic). Accordingly, 15 November was inauguration day during the Old Republic era. The first inauguration under the permanent provisions of the Constitution took place on 15 November 1894.


In the wake of the 1930 Revolution, the Constitution adopted on 16 July 1934, in its transitional provisions, empowered the Constituent Assembly to elect the president for the first presidential term. Chosen by the Constituent Assembly, Getúlio Vargas, until then Head of the Provisional Government, took office as president on 20 July 1934. Subsequent presidents would be elected by direct popular ballot and the next president would take office on 3 May 1938. Accordingly, 3 May would be Inauguration Day under the 1934 Constitution (3 May had also been the date of the State Opening of Parliament in the imperial era). The 1934 Constitution was however short-lived due to the presidential coup d'etát of 10 November 1937, so that no presidential elections were held under its permanent provisions.


Under the Constitution imposed by President Vargas on 10 November 1937, the Brazilian Government was in effect a dictatorship. The referendum announced in the Constitution, in which the people would confirm or reject the new constitutional system, was never held (the date of that referendum was never set by the Government). The Constitution nominally established a six-year presidential term, with the first presidential term starting on the date of adoption the Constitution, but another provision of the document allowed the serving president (Vargas) to remain in office until the referendum on the Constitution was held. The said Constitutional provision indicated that, if the Constitution was confirmed in the referendum, then Vargas would complete his six-year presidential term. Thus, the referendum should have taken place in the first six years of the Constitution, but that was not done: Vargas ignored the duration of the presidential term mandated by the Constitution that he had imposed. In reality therefore, after the 1937 coup, Vargas retained power for more than the six-year period that had been announced, ruling Brazil as dictator for almost eight years, from his coup d'etát in November 1937 until his deposition in October 1945.


When Vargas was deposed, new elections were summoned for a Constituent Assembly and a president, both chosen by direct popular ballot. The first presidential term subsequent to the deposition of the Estado Novo dictatorship began on 31 January 1946, and the Constitution adopted on 18 September 1946 established five-year presidential terms, but did not change the Inauguration Day. Accordingly, the subsequent five-year presidential terms also started on 31 January.


In the wake of the 1964 military coup, it was established that the president elected in April 1964 would serve until 31 January 1966. Marshal Castelo Branco subsequently extended his term until March 1967, by establishing that his successor would be inaugurated on 15 March 1967. On that same date, a new Constitution entered into force. Under the 1967 Constitution, 15 March remained as the presidential inauguration day.


With the adoption of Brazil's current Constitution, promulgated on 5 October 1988 in the wake of the country's transition to democracy, it was established in the permanent constitutional provisions that the presidential term of office would begin on 1 January.


However, the transitional constitutional provisions stipulated that the mandate of the then serving president of the Republic would continue until he completed five years in office. Accordingly, the transitional provisions of the Constitution established that the first presidential elections under the Constitution, by direct popular ballot, would be held in 1989 and that the president and vice-president elect would be sworn in on 15 March 1990. A 1993 Constitutional Amendment reduced the presidential term of office from five to four years. Accordingly, President Collor, the first president elected under the 1988 Constitution was sworn in on 15 March 1990, but his presidential term would only end on 31 December 1995. Collor resigned the presidency in December 1992 and, was succeeded by Itamar Franco. His term of office was shortened by the Constitutional Amendment that reduced the duration of presidential terms from five to four years. As a result, Itamar Franco served until 31 December 1994, and, since 1995, Inauguration Day has been on 1 January as dictated by the permanent provisions of the Federal Constitution. Fernando Henrique Cardoso was the first president of Brazil to be inaugurated on 1 January, the current Inauguration Day under the permanent provisions of the Constitution adopted in 1988.