The members of the Legislative and Executive branches would be elected by direct popular vote, which characterized them as representatives of the citizens in national political life.

If a president died or resigned, his vice-president would only assume office until new elections were held, instead of serving until the end of the four-year term, as is the case today.

[2][4] As for the electoral rules, it was determined that the vote in Brazil would remain non-secret (the voter's signature on the ballot became compulsory) and universal (the census suffrage, which defined voters by their income, was abolished, but illiterate people, religious people subject to ecclesiastical obedience and beggars were still excluded from the right to vote).

[2][4][5] The separation of church and state was also defined: elections would no longer take place within churches, the government would no longer interfere in the choice of high clergy positions, such as bishops, deacons and cardinals, and the definition of a parish as an administrative unit - which was equivalent to a municipality as well as a district, village and comarca - was extinguished.

[2][4][6] Nobility and private coats of arms were abolished and no aristocratic privilege was recognized; the most influential kept their symbols during the Republic out of respect and courtesy.

Under the new constitution, Brazilians who accepted any foreign title that contradicted the republican precepts of the 1891 text, without the express authorization of Congress, would lose their political rights.

[8] The main aspects of the 1891 Constitution were:[2] Freedom of association and assembly without arms were enshrined, the accused were guaranteed the fullest rights of defense, the sentences of galleys, judicial banishment and death were abolished, habeas corpus was instituted and federal judges were guaranteed magistracy (life tenure, permanent immovability and irreducibility of salaries).