# Mayors in Brazil

In Brazil, the mayor is the chief executive of the smallest territorial unit — the municipality (Portuguese: município) — and holds executive powers of the local government, in a "strong mayor-council" arrangement. In Portuguese, the mayor is called the prefeito (if male) or prefeita (if female), while the government itself is termed the prefeitura.
The current system of mayor and council (called the Câmara Municipal) dates from the 1930 revolution and the Vargas era, albeit with changes how elections are conducted. Until 1982, Brazilian mayors were usually elected by the local population, with the exception of state capitals, international border towns, and "national security zones" (which included strategic mining places).
With the end of the military dictatorship and enacting of the 1988 Constitution, all mayors and councillors in the nation are elected every four years. Mayors are elected by a first past the post system in most municipalities—however, if its population is over 200,000, an outright majority is needed to win or the vote will go to a second round runoff election. The most recent election was held in 2020.
The federal capital, Brasília, has no mayor; instead, executive duties are carried out by the Governor of the Federal District.
The insular district of Fernando de Noronha which belongs to the State of Pernambuco doesn't have a mayor, but has an administrator appointed by the Governor, the administrator performs the duties of a mayor during a four-year term, and like Brasília, the district doesn't have municipal elections.
In Brazil, mayors of larger cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, have considerable influence in national politics and are usually potential presidential candidates.

## Mayors of Brazilian state capitals as of April 2021

| Town | State | Mayor | Party |
| Southeast capitals |||||
| Belo Horizonte | Minas Gerais | Alexandre Kalil | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | Eduardo Paes | Democrats (DEM) |
| São Paulo | São Paulo | Ricardo Nunes** | Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) |
| Vitória | Espírito Santo | Lorenzo Pazolini | Republicans (PRB) |
| South capitals |||||
| Curitiba | Paraná | Rafael Greca | Democrats (DEM) |
| Florianópolis | Santa Catarina | Gean Loureiro | Democrats (DEM) |
| Porto Alegre | Rio Grande do Sul | Sebastião Melo | Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) |
| Northeast capitals |||||
| Aracaju | Sergipe | Edvaldo Nogueira | Democratic Labour Party (PDT) |
| Fortaleza | Ceará | José Sarto | Democratic Labour Party (PDT) |
| João Pessoa | Paraíba | Cícero Lucena | Progressives (PP) |
| Maceió | Alagoas | João Henrique Caldas | Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) |
| Natal | Rio Grande do Norte | Álvaro Costa Dias | Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PDSB) |
| Recife | Pernambuco | João Henrique Campos | Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) |
| Salvador | Bahia | Bruno Soares Reis | Brazil Union (UNIÃO) |
| São Luís | Maranhão | Eduardo Braide | We can (Podemos) |
| Teresina | Piauí | José Pessoa Leal | Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) |
| North capitals |||||
| Belém | Pará | Edmilson Rodrigues | Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) |
| Boa Vista | Roraima | Arthur Henrique Machado | Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) |
| Macapá | Amapá | Antônio Furlan | Citizenship (Cidadania) |
| Manaus | Amazonas | David Almeida | Forward (Avante) |
| Palmas | Tocantins | Cinthia Ribeiro | Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PDSB) |
| Porto Velho | Rondônia | Hildon de Lima Chaves | Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PDSB) |
| Rio Branco | Acre | Tião Bocalom | Progressives (PP) |
| Center-West capitals |||||
| Campo Grande | Mato Grosso do Sul | Marquinhos Trad | Social Democratic Party (PSD) |
| Cuiabá | Mato Grosso | Emanuel Pinheiro | Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) |
| Goiânia | Goiás | Rogério Cruz* | Republicans |
*Maguito Vilela of the MDB was elected in 2020, but died during his term. Vice-mayor Rogério Cruz thus succeeded him.
**Bruno Covas of the PSDB was elected in 2020, but died during his term. Vice-mayor Ricardo Nunes thus succeeded him.