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= Bionic offices =

In brazilian politics, bionic offices were those which the holder of the title were chosen without universal suffrage, through direct choice of the authorities in Brasília during the brazilian military dictatorship. This guaranteed the continuity of the regime and avoided that objectives of the regime were threatened by political dissidence. In practice, regions under the rule of bionic governors and mayors had reduced autonomy, since the bigger decisions were made by the central government, reducing the influence of regional political forces.

The term "bionic" was popularized in Brazil by the american TV Show The Six Million Dollar Man. Translated to politics, the term was used to portray those who ascended to a political executive office without the attrition of a political campaign.

From 1966 on, there were bionic governors and mayors in some categories of municipalities, and even bionic senators. In the case of senators, the term was also used to designate the senators elected after the "Pacote de Abril" (April Package) from 1977, which altered electoral rules for the 1978 elections. According to the new rules, each state would chose a name for the senate via indirect vote, through an electoral college.