A Constitution of 1967 was the fifth Constitution of the Brazil Republic and the sixth in the country's history. Prepared during the Military dictatorship under the supervision of the military, the constitutional text was used to legalize and institutionalize the military regime initiated by the 1964 coup.
A 1967 Magna Carta abandoned the democratic characteristics of the 1946 Constitution, being used to justify the actions adopted by the military government.
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It entered into force on March 15, 1967, the same date that General Arthur Costa e Silva assumed the presidency of the country.
This document expanded the power of the Executive and weakened federalism. It was seen by the then president as “modern, lively and adequate”, even though its authoritarian characteristics were visible.
The 1964 military coup made possible the arrival of the military to power and enabled several transformations in national politics.
Initially, the new representatives focused on containing political opposition through Institutional Acts that disregarded the norms determined by the Constitution of 1946.
In this way, individuals who came to power sought to adopt actions that legitimized the military government.
A new Constitution was drawn up in 1966 to incorporate the arbitrary measures imposed by the Institutional Acts (AI) and decrees adopted since the Castelo Branco government.
In his government alone, 190 decrees were approved without the participation of the Legislative power. On December 12, 1966, AI-4 summoned members of the National Congress to discuss and approve a new Constitution.
The new constitutional text was approved on January 24, 1967, disregarding several amendments offered by congressmen.
The new Magna Carta came into force on March 15, 1967, the same date on which General Arthur Costa e Silva assumed the presidency of the country.
This document was in force throughout the military regime, becoming a tool that made all anti-democratic practices carried out during this period legal.
In addition, the 1967 Constitution incorporated Institutional Act No. 5, which further increased the political powers of the military.
the intention of elaboration of the 1967 Constitution was to incorporate the Institutional Acts and decrees adopted since the government of Castelo Branco.
At first, the draft Constitution offered by Carlos Medeiros Silva was criticized by politicians linked to the government.
But, in December 1966, Congress was summoned to draw up a new Constitution. Initially, the measure taken by the government was democratic in nature.
However, on January 24, 1967, a constitutional text was approved without the effective participation of deputies and senators. The 1967 Constitution was considered the most unstable and arbitrary of Brazilian constitutions.
The main features of the 1967 Constitution they were:
After the incorporation of Institutional Act No. 5, the document now includes:
The 1967 Constitution came to an end when the Military dictatorship it ended. In the 1986 elections, the parliamentarians responsible for drawing up the Constitution of 1988, marking a new democratic era.
The 1988 Constitution represented a decisive step towards the redemocratization of Brazil.
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