A provisional measure ( pt, medida provisória) is a legal act in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

through which the

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

can, "in important and urgent cases", enact

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

s effective for a maximum of 60 days without approval by the National Congress. The provisional measure may be renewed once for an additional 60 days, after which, it will cease to be in force unless the National Congress has approved it and made it law. There are two requirements for a provisional measure to be used: urgency and relevance of the matter to be regulated; Provisional measures may not affect: * political rights * criminal law * organization of the Judicial branch * the budget * private property In addition, provisional measures may not effect that which is reserved for complementary law, or is already included in a bill submitted to the president by the National Congress and awaiting approval.

References

External links

* (full tex
Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil
pdf; 432 pages Government of Brazil {{Brazil-gov-stub