The 1988 Constituent Assembly , also known as the National Constituent Assembly was a constituent assembly

Constituent assembly

A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...

 held in Brasília

Brasília

Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...

 to establish Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

's new democratic Constitution

Constitution of Brazil

During its independent political history, Brazil has had seven constitutions. The most recent was ratified on October 5, 1988.-Imperial Constitution :Background...

 after 21 years under military rule. On November 1986, general elections were held to elect the members of the Constituent Assembly, which took office on February 1, 1987 and would serve until 1990. Ulysses Guimarães, from the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro - PMDB) of São Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

, served as president of the Assembly.

The majority in the Constituent Assembly was formed by the Democratic Centre (PMDB, PFL

Democrats (Brazil)

The Democrats is a centre-right political party in Brazil, considered the main in the right-wing spectrum. Despite its former name , the party affiliates itself to the Centrist Democrat International, and the International Democrat Union. The name comes from its support to free market policies...

, PTB

Brazilian Labour Party (current)

The Brazilian Labour Party is a center-right political party in Brazil founded in 1981 by Ivete Vargas, niece of President Getúlio Vargas. It claims the legacy of the historical PTB, although many historians reject this because the early version of PTB was a center-left party with wide support in...

, PDS

Democratic Social Party

The Democratic Social Party was a conservative Brazilian political party.It was established in 1979 as a continuation of the National Renewal Alliance Party , the party which supported the 1965-79 Brazilian dictatorship, at a time in which the country turned to be a democracy...

, and smaller parties), also known as "Big Centre" (Centrão). They were supported by the executive branch and represented conservative factions of the society, and had a decisive influence in the work of the Constituent and the outcome of important decisions, such as the extension of President Sarney

José Sarney

José Sarney de Araújo Costa is a Brazilian lawyer, writer and politician. He served as president of Brazil from 15 March 1985 to 15 March 1990....

's term (from four to five years), the maintenance of the agrarian policy and the role of the Armed Forces.

External links

Constituicao de 1988 on Brasil Escola.