Government System in Rio de Janeiro

Rio’s metropolitan region includes the 14 independent municipal governments which make up the urban area.

Municipalities are the foundation of democratic government in Brazil, as laid out in the 1988 constitution.

They are governed by elected mayors and municipal councils and have responsibility for primary education, basic health services, solid-waste collection and disposal, and municipal upkeep, including streets and parks.

Municipal funding sources include taxes on property and services, as well as revenue from state and federal sources.

There is no metropolitan planning or development authority, although in the 1980s the state-instituted Metropolitan Development Foundation attempted to fulfill such a role. It has since been disbanded.