Rigid symmetries and BRST-invariance in gauge theories

The structure of the symmetry algebra of theories with simultaneous local and rigid symmetries is analyzed. BRST-invariant Faddeev-Popov gauge-fixing in such theories is discussed and it is proven that the BRST-transformations can always be made to commute with the rigid symmetries by assigning specific transformation rules to the ghosts. The problem of keeping the rigid symmetries manifest in the quantum theory is shown to reduce to the problem of finding covariant gauge conditions. Such covariant gauges exist only if the algebra of local and rigid symmetries has a semi-direct product structure.