What a vice mayor does
A vice mayor is the other elected officeholder in a municipality’s executive branch and is part of the city government alongside the mayor. The role’s central function is to replace the mayor when the mayor is away on leave or otherwise unable to perform the duties of office. It is therefore more than an honorary title: it provides for continuity in the leadership of the municipal executive in those circumstances.
The office exists at the municipal level, but its specific responsibilities can depend on the rules that apply to local government. A municipality’s Organic Law, for example, may regulate aspects of how its government operates. In addition to replacing the mayor, the vice mayor may perform duties within the administration; the existence and details of those tasks should not be assumed to be identical in every city.
How the office is filled
In Brazil, mayors and vice mayors are elected by direct vote in elections held every four years. The election is linked: voters choose a ticket comprising the mayor and vice mayor, rather than voting for the two offices separately. The vice mayor therefore takes office as part of the same elected municipal ticket and is associated with the same mandate.
This joint election distinguishes the office from a position appointed later by the mayor. The vice mayor has electoral legitimacy as a member of the ticket, although the mayor ordinarily leads the executive while serving in office.
When the vice mayor takes over
The vice mayor replaces the mayor when the mayor is on leave or faces another impediment to carrying out the office. During such periods, the vice mayor temporarily occupies the mayor’s position, helping keep the municipal government under executive leadership. The duration and procedures for a particular situation must be understood in light of the applicable rules, rather than inferred from the job title alone.
It is useful to distinguish this temporary replacement from a permanent change in who holds the office. The general description of the vice mayor’s role establishes replacement in the circumstances described, but without a specific case or the relevant municipal law, it would not be appropriate to claim that the same detailed procedures apply in every city.