Reverse parliamentarism () was the political system in force in the

Brazilian Empire The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...

during the

Second Reign The Second Reign is a period of History of Brazil, history within the Empire of Brazil that lasted 49 years, beginning with the end of the Regency period (Empire of Brazil), regency period on 23 July 1840, upon the declaration of Declaration of ...

. This system consisted of the Conservative and Liberal parties alternating at the head of the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...

, based on the choice of the Moderator. In 1847, Decree No. 523 created the position of

President of the Council of Ministers The President of the Council of Ministers (sometimes titled Chairman of the Council of Ministers) is the most senior member of the cabinet in the executive branch of government in some countries. Some Presidents of the Council of Ministers are th ...

(

Prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

), who became head of the Executive Branch and organized the government cabinet. Thus, the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

no longer appointed all the ministers, but only the President of the council, who, in turn, chose the other members of his ministry, in agreement with parliament, removing an element of political wear and tear from the monarch, without diminishing his authority, in a system mirrored in British parliamentarism.

British and Brazilian parliaments

The hierarchy of classical parliamentarism and Brazilian parliamentarism was inverted, hence the name "reverse parliamentarism". In the UK,

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

, based on the majority of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and who they advise, chooses the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. Parliament then approves or disapproves this decision. This person will be the country's head of government, running and managing the UK. Although appointed by the monarch, taking into account the composition of the legislature, the prime minister must account for his actions only to parliament, which, if it deems it necessary, can remove him from office. In Brazilian parliamentarianism, the monarch waited for the legislative elections and chose the President of the council from the party with the majority in parliament. However, according to the

1824 Constitution The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 ( es, Constitución Federal de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos de 1824) was enacted on October 4 of 1824, after the overthrow of the Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide. In the new Fr ...

, he was not obliged to do this and could choose any politician, from any party, for the post. Therefore, as a rule, the head of government's name was chosen or nominated before the elections, and it was up to him to organize the ballot. As the electoral system was largely based on fraud and the influence of local political bosses, the party in power usually achieved a majority in the

Chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations *Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics *Debate chamber, the space or room that houses deliber ...

, confirming the Emperor's choice and maintaining the fictitious alternation of power.

Bibliography

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References

{{Portal, Brazil Empire of Brazil Monarchism in Brazil 19th century in Brazil