What can a president accomplish in Brazil?

As the electoral campaign gains steam, so do candidates’ promises to fix the myriad problems of Brazil’s politics and economy. They range from the “re-foundation of the Republic,” to giving firearms to every citizen, to helping every single person with a default on their credit record to clear their name. But – as in most modern republics – the president can only do so much if he or she doesn’t have support from Congress.

In Brazil’s modern politics, the relationship between the presidency and Congress has been rocky to say the least. Over the past 30 years, Brazilians have elected four presidents: two of which have been impeached (Fernando Collor and Dilma Rousseff), while the other two (Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Lula) faced accusations – albeit on different scales – of having bribed congressmen to pass legislation.

Our system is quite contradictory. On one hand, it places a great amount of power into the hands of presidents, who can somewhat control legislative agendas through an instrument called “provisional measures.” These are designed by the president’s office and hold the same value as laws. But while they are effective immediately,...