The president of Brazil is the head of state of Brazil, being directly elected by the people to a de jure six-year term, being indirectly elected during the midterm elections. Along with the Consul, the head of government, both officeholders lead the executive branch of the federal government, since Brazil is a semi-presidential republic. The president is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces.
Since the office was established in 1798, 42 individuals have served as president. The first, Tomás Antônio Gonzaga, was unanimously chosen by the Council of Ministers to serve the office. Francisco Sabino served for ten years consecutively, assuming after the Sabinada Revolution, being elected three times before his death in 1946. Manuel Alves Branco served for a year, shortly after Sabino's death while losing the election, thus serving the shortest term of office. The Constitution of Brazil does not allow a person to be elected more than twice in a row.
6 out of 42 presidents were not able to serve a full term. One president resigned (Antônio Paes de Barros), while two died in office, Francisco Sabino died of malaria while João Bordaberry was assassinated. Vice presidents that succeeded other presidents were Manuel Alves Branco, Venâncio Flores, Zacarias de Góis, José Batlle and Aureliano Chaves. The Brazilian electoral history has been dominated by a sustainable rotation of political factions and parties since its beginning. Tomás Antônio Gonzaga remained as the only president to be elected independently, although it was one of the founders of the Republican Party two years later. Zacarias de Góis and Luís Gama didn't serve a full term, while Zacarias de Góis as incumbent president supported Luís Alves as candidate in 1868, becoming Vice President afterwards, Luís Gama was voted out during the midterm elections, being once again replaced by Luís Alves.
The electoral system of Brazil when instituted was similar to the Columbian system, with an electoral college (formed by the Council of Ministers/Federal Consulate) to elect a president along with the consul. Until the Sabinada Revolution, the Consul was the second-placed in the presidential election, while elected independently in the midterm elections. This method was abolished and replaced the president-parliamentary system. The people elected the senators and representatives, and the party which elected more congressmen on each state would win the electoral college from that state. This method was abolished in 1905 when the government opted to implement direct elections instead.
After the Sabinada Revolution, the office of Vice President was established to temporarily take over the presidential powers and duties while the President is abroad, or otherwise temporarily unable to carry out his or her duties. Brazil extended the rights of the vote to other ethnic groups and restricted the vote to Portuguese residents with less than ten years of residence. The population was able to choose the ministers, senators, and deputies, while the president was the choice of the Council of Ministers. The rights to vote were first extended to illiterates and black people in national level in 1870. Then extended to women in 1919.
| Nº | President | Office | Political party | Vice President | Consul | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | |||||||
| 1 | 
|
Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (1744–1814) |
26 February 1799 | 14 March 1805 | Independent | Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729–1813) | ||||
| Republican Party | Cipriano Barata de Almeida (1762–1838) | |||||||||
| 2 |  |
Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729–1813) |
15 March 1805 | 14 March 1811 | Liberal Party | Joaquim da Silva Xavier (1746–1819) | ||||
| 3 |  |
Cipriano Barata de Almeida (1762–1838) |
15 March 1811 | 13 March 1817 | Republican Party | Azeredo Coutinho (1742–1821) | ||||
| Joaquim da Silva Xavier (1746–1819) | ||||||||||
| 4 |  |
Lucas Monteiro de Barros (1767–1851) |
14 March 1817 | 13 March 1823 | Conservative Party | Azeredo Coutinho (1742–1821) | ||||
| José Joaquim Carneiro (1785–1836) | ||||||||||
| 5 |  |
José Bonifácio de Andrada (1763–1838) |
14 March 1823 | 12 March 1829 | Liberal Party | Joaquim Gonçalves Ledo (1781–1847) | ||||
| 6 |  |
José Frutuoso Rivera (1784–1854) |
13 March 1829 | 12 March 1835 | Liberal Party | Nicolau Pereira Vergueiro (1778–1859) | ||||
| Diogo Antônio Feijó (1784–1843) | ||||||||||
| 7 |  |
Antônio Paes de Barros (1791–1876) |
13 March 1835 | 8 February 1838 | Conservative Party | José da Costa Carvalho (1796–1860) | ||||
| 8 |  |
Francisco Sabino (1796–1846) |
8 February 1838 | 25 December 1846 | Republican Party | Manuel Alves Branco (1797–1855) |
Rafael Tobias de Aguiar (1794–1857) | |||
| Teófilo Otoni (1764–1850) | ||||||||||
| 9 |  |
Manuel Alves Branco (1797–1855) |
25 December 1846 | 11 March 1847 | Republican Party | — | ||||
| 10 |  |
Honório Hermeto Leão (1801–1856) |
12 March 1847 | 10 March 1853 | Conservative Party | Pedro de Araújo Lima (1801–1856) |
Joaquim Marques Lisboa (1707–1897) | |||
| 11 |  |
Pedro de Araújo Lima (1793–1870) |
11 March 1853 | 10 March 1859 | Liberal Party | Venâncio Flores Barros (1808–1868) |
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| 12 |  |
Venâncio Flores Barros (1808–1868) |
11 March 1859 | 9 March 1865 | Republican Party | Silveira da Mota (1811–1893) |
||||
| Progressive League | Zacarias de Góis (1815–1877) |
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| 13 |  |
Zacarias de Góis (1815–1877) |
10 March 1865 | 11 March 1868 | Progressive League (Grand Coalition) |
Luís Alves de Lima e Silva (1803–1880) |
||||
| 14 |  |
Luís Alves de Lima e Silva (1803–1880) |
12 March 1868 | 9 March 1871 | Conservative Party (Grand Coalition) |
Zacarias de Góis (1815–1877) |
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| 15 |  |
Luís Gonzaga da Gama (1830–1881) |
10 March 1871 | 12 March 1874 | Progressive League | José Antônio Saraiva (1823–1895) |
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| 16 | |
Luís Alves de Lima e Silva (1803–1880) |
12 March 1874 | 8 March 1877 | Conservative Party | |||||
| 17 |  |
Benjamin Constant (1836–1891) |
9 March 1877 | 8 March 1883 | Republican Party | Lafayette Rodrigues Pereira (1834–1917) |
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| 18 |  |
José Antônio Saraiva (1823–1895) |
9 March 1883 | 14 March 1889 | Progressive League | Afonso Celso de Assis (1836–1912) |
||||
| 19 |  |
Prudente de Morais (1841–1902) |
15 March 1889 | 14 March 1895 | Conservative Party | Manuel Vitorino Pereira (1853–1902) |
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| 20 |  |
Quintino Bocaiuva (1836–1912) |
15 March 1895 | 14 March 1901 | Progressive League | Saldanha da Gama (1846–1923) |
||||
| 21 |  |
José Maria Paranhos, Jr. (1845–1912) |
15 March 1901 | 14 March 1907 | Republican Party | José Batlle e Ordones (1856–1929) |
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| 22 |  |
José Batlle e Ordones (1856–1929) |
15 March 1907 | 13 March 1913 | Republican Party | Venceslau Brás (1868–1966) |
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| 23 |  |
Ruy Barbosa de Oliveira (1849–1923) |
14 March 1913 | 13 March 1919 | Progressive League | Albuquerque Lins (1852–1926) |
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| 24 |  |
Arthur Bernardes (1875–1955) |
14 March 1919 | 12 March 1925 | Democratic Party | Estácio Coimbra (1872–1937) |
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| 25 |  |
Washington Luís (1869–1957) |
13 March 1925 | 12 March 1931 | Democratic Party | Fernando de Melo Viana (1878–1954) |
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| 26 |  |
Getúlio Vargas (1882–1967) |
13 March 1931 | 11 March 1937 | Progressive League | João Pessoa (1878–1952) |
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| 27 |  |
José Américo de Almeida (1887–1980) |
12 March 1937 | 11 March 1943 | Republican Party | Alfredo Baldomir (1884–1948) |
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| 28 |  |
Osvaldo Aranha (1894–1960) |
12 March 1943 | 10 March 1949 | Progressive League | Alberto Pasqualini (1901–1960) |
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| 29 |  |
Otávio Mangabeira (1886–1960) |
11 March 1949 | 10 March 1955 | Republican Party | Celso Peçanha (1901–1960) |
||||
| 30 |  |
San Tiago Dantas (1911–1964) |
11 March 1955 | 9 March 1961 | Progressive League | Henrique Teixeira Lott (1894–1984) |
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| 31 |  |
Henrique Teixeira Lott (1894–1984) |
10 March 1961 | 9 March 1967 | Republican Party | João Goulart, Sr. (1919–1984) |
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| 32 |  |
Jânio Quadros (1917–1992) |
10 March 1967 | 8 March 1973 | Conservative Party | Herbert Levy (1911–2002) |
||||
| National Party | ||||||||||
| 33 |  |
João Maria Bordaberry (1928–1975) |
9 March 1973 | 23 August 1975 | Conservative Party | Aureliano Chaves (1929–2003) |
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| 34 |  |
Aureliano Chaves (1929–2003) |
24 August 1975 | 8 March 1979 | Conservative Party | — | ||||
| Armando Falcão (1919–2010) |
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| 35 |  |
Paulo Brossard (1924–2012) |
9 March 1979 | 14 March 1985 | Republican Party | Franco Montoro (1916–1999) |
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| 36 |  |
Mário Covas (1930–2001) |
15 March 1985 | 14 March 1991 | Republican Party | Waldir Pires (1926–2018) |
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| 37 |  |
Líber Seregni (1916–2004) |
15 March 1991 | 13 March 1997 | Socialist Party | Haroldo Lima (1939–2021) |
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| 38 |  |
Itamar Franco (1930–2011) |
14 March 1997 | 13 March 2003 | Progressive League | Miro Teixeira (1945–) |
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| 39 |  |
José Maria Eymael (1939–) |
14 March 2003 | 12 March 2009 | Conservative Party | Francisco Dornelles (1935–) |
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| 40 |  |
Ana Arraes (1947–) |
13 March 2009 | 12 March 2015 | Socialist Party | Ciro Gomes (1957–) |
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| 41 |  |
João Vicente Goulart (1956–) |
13 March 2015 | 11 March 2021 | Progressive League | Aldo Rebelo (1956–) |
||||
| 42 |  |
Joaquim Barbosa (1956–) |
12 March 2021 | - | Republican Party | Luís Antônio Lopes (1947–) |
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