The Brazilian Federal Constitution completed its 30th year on October 5th. Created in 1988, it sets out a series of norms that govern the country to this day (find out more in the Coleção section on page 9).

In order to draft it in 1987, lower house representatives and senators who had been elected in the previous year gathered to form the Constitutional Assembly.  That is the name given to a group that gathers to write a new Constitution. For a year and eight months, congressmen discussed which issues would be included in the document. Ordinary citizens and institutions were also able to give their opinions by sending in forms with suggestions; 72,719 ideas were collected.

The text was approved by congressmen on September 22nd, 1988. The population obtained access to it on October 5th, and since then, it has been Brazil’s Constitution.

More than one
Brazil has already had seven Constitutions. The first one was created in 1824, at a time in which Brazil was a colonial empire governed by Dom Pedro I. The others date from 1891, 1934, 1937,1946, 1967, and 1988.

QUESTIONS
1) According to the text, what does a Constitutional Assembly do?
a) It creates a new Constitution for a country.
b) It discusses whether the laws of a country are being followed.
c) It checks the work of state representatives and senators.
d) It determines the duties of the country’s President.

2) Why do you think a Constitution is important for a country?

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