National Congress of Brazil building

• The Federal Senate (Senado Federal) contains 81 seats: three senators from each state and three from the Federal District, elected on a majority basis to serve eight-year terms. Elections are staggered so that two-thirds of the upper house is up for election at one time and the remaining one-third four years later.

• The Chamber of Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados) comprises 513 deputies (members of congress), who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms. Elections are based on a complex system of proportional representation by states. The seats are allotted proportionally according to each state's population, but each state is eligible for a minimum of eight seats and a maximum of 70 seats.

Both houses of Congress meet in a purpose-built legislative palace in the centre of Brasília. Fifteen political parties are currently represented in Congress. Until recently, it was common for politicians to switch parties, so that the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly. However the Supremo Tribunal Federal has recently declared that it is unconstitutional for Deputies to switch parties during their term in office.

The building

Since the 1960s, the National Congress has its seat in Brasilia. As most of the official buildings in the city, it was designed by Oscar Niemeyer following the style of modern Brazilian architecture.

The semisphere to the left is the seat of the Senate, and the hemisphere to the right is the seat of the Chamber of the Deputies. Between them there are two towers of offices. The Congress also occupies other surrounding buildings, some of them interconnected by a tunnel.

The building is located in the middle of the Monumental Axis, the city main street. In front of it there's a large lawn, where demonstrations take place. At the back of it, there are the Praça dos Três Poderes, where the Palácio do Planalto and the Supremo Tribunal Federal lie.

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