2026 Brazilian general election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General elections will be held in Brazil on 4 October 2026 to elect the president, vice president, members of the National Congress, the governors, vice governors and legislative assemblies of all federative units, and the district council of Fernando de Noronha. If no candidate for president or governor receives the majority of the valid votes in the first round, a runoff election is held on 25 October.
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Incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party is eligible for a fourth term (second consecutively), and announced his intention to seek re-election.[1]
Background
Having unsuccessfully run for president in 1989, 1994 and 1998, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the left-wing Workers' Party was elected in 2002 and 2006. He was then succeeded by his chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff, who was elected in 2010 and 2014. In 2016, Rousseff was removed from office due to administrative misconduct and was succeeded by her vice president, Michel Temer of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement. Lula attempted to run for president again but was prevented due to his conviction on corruption charges in 2017 as part of Operation Car Wash and imprisoned in 2018. Right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party was elected president in 2018. Bolsonaro left the Social Liberal Party in 2019 and joined the Liberal Party in 2021.
A series of rulings by the Supreme Federal Court questioning the legality of Lula's trial led to his release from prison in 2019 and the restoration of his political rights by 2021.[2][3] Lula narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential election, securing a non-consecutive third term. In response to his loss, some Bolsonaro supporters demanded a military coup to prevent Lula's inauguration, but failed to gather sufficient support.[citation needed] Bolsonaro was subsequently convicted by the Supreme Federal Court, barred from running for a second term before 2030, and arrested in 2025.[4] He endorsed his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Electoral system
Brazil's president and vice president are elected as a joint ticket using the two-round system. The first round of elections is held on the first Sunday of October (in this instance, 4 October 2026).[5] A candidate who receives more than half of the valid votes in the first round is elected. If this threshold is not met by any candidate, the two most voted candidates in the first round participate in a second round of voting, held on the last Sunday of October (in this instance, 25 October 2026), and the most voted candidate in the second round is elected. Elections for governors and vice governors of all 26 states and of the Federal District are held on the same dates and with the same two-round system as the presidential election.
Two-thirds of the 81 members of the Brazilian Senate are up for election in 2026, two senators being elected from each of the states and the Federal District using plurality block voting. The other third of the Senate was elected in 2022.[6]
All 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies (federal deputies) are elected from 27 multi-member constituencies corresponding to the states and the Federal District, varying in size from 8 to 70 seats. All members of the state legislative assemblies (state deputies) and of the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District (district deputies), varying in size from 24 to 94 seats, are also elected. These elections are held using open list, proportional representation, with seats allocated using integer quotients and the D'Hondt method.[7][8]
All seven members of the District Council of Fernando de Noronha are elected by single non-transferable vote. Unlike elections for other offices in Brazil, candidates for this council are not nominated by political parties.[9]
Voters
Voting in Brazil is allowed for citizens over 16 years of age and mandatory for literate citizens between 18 and 70 years of age, except conscripts, who are not allowed to vote during their period of mandatory military service.[10] Those who are required but do not vote in an election and do not present an acceptable justification, such as being absent from their voting locality at the time,[11] must pay a fine, normally R$3.51,[12][13] equivalent to US$0.69 as of May 2026. In some cases, the fine may be waived, reduced, or increased up to R$35.13 (US$6.91).[14]
Brazilian citizens residing abroad may only vote for president and vice president.[15] Under the Equality Statute between Brazil and Portugal, Portuguese citizens legally residing in Brazil for more than three years may also register to vote in Brazilian elections.[16]
Candidates and political parties
All candidates for federal, state, Federal District, and municipal offices must be nominated by a political party. For offices to be elected by majority or plurality (executive offices and senators), parties may form an electoral coalition (coligação) to nominate a single candidate. The coalitions do not need to be composed of the same parties for every nomination, do not need to be maintained after the election, and are not valid for offices to be elected proportionally (deputies and aldermen).[17] Parties may also form a different type of alliance called federation (federação), which acts as a single party to nominate candidates for all offices in all locations, including those to be elected proportionally, and must be maintained with a single leadership structure over the course of the elected legislature.[18] Federations may also act as parties to form coalitions. For the 2026 election, the registered federations are Brazil of Hope (PT–PCdoB–PV), Always Forward (PSDB–Cidadania), PSOL REDE (PSOL–REDE), Solidary Renewal (PRD–Solidarity), and Progressive Union (Union–PP).[19]
For offices to be elected proportionally, each party must nominate candidates of each sex in a distribution between 30 and 70%.[17] Parties must also allocate their funds and broadcast time proportionally to the number of their candidates of each sex and race, with a minimum of 30% of funds for Black and Brown candidates.[20][21]
Procedure
Voting in Brazilian elections can only be done in person and only on election day, which is always a Sunday. There is no provision for postal or early voting. Voter registration must be done in advance, and each voter can only vote in one designated voting station, either based on the voter's registered domicile or at a different location that the voter must specifically request if planning to be there temporarily on election day. Voters must provide photo identification at their voting station before proceeding to vote.[22]
Voting stations are installed in all municipalities of Brazil, the Federal District, and Fernando de Noronha.[23] Most voting stations are in public schools.[24] In some sparsely populated areas, such as indigenous territories, the installation and use of voting stations requires extensive travel and logistics.[25] Voting stations are also installed in other countries, mostly in Brazilian diplomatic missions, for citizens residing abroad.[26]
Voting is done almost entirely on direct-recording electronic voting machines, designed for extreme simplicity. The voter dials a number corresponding to the desired candidate or party, causing the name and photo of the candidate or party to appear on the screen, then the voter presses a green button to confirm or an orange button to correct and try again. It is also possible to leave the vote blank by pressing a white button, or to nullify the vote by dialing a number that does not correspond to any candidate or party. Paper ballots are only used in case a voting machine malfunctions or in locations abroad with fewer than 100 voters.[22]
The electronic system is subject to extensive tests, including on machines randomly selected from actual voting stations on election day, witnessed by political parties to rule out fraud. After voting ends, every machine prints a record of its total votes for each candidate or party, which is publicly displayed for comparison with the results published electronically.[27] The system delivers the complete election results usually a few hours after voting ends, which is extremely fast for such a large population as Brazil. However, the system does not create a physical record of individual votes to allow a full election recount.[28]
Voting stations operate at the same time in the whole country, regardless of their time zone: 9:00 to 18:00 UTC−02:00, 8:00 to 17:00 UTC−03:00, 7:00 to 16:00 UTC−04:00, and 6:00 to 15:00 UTC−05:00.[22] The unified voting time does not apply to voting stations for citizens abroad, which operate from 8:00 to 17:00 local time, ranging from 16 hours before to 4 hours after those in Brazil.[29]
Administration
Unusual in the world, Brazilian elections are administered by the judiciary.[30][31] The country has one Superior Electoral Court (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, TSE), and each state and the Federal District have a Regional Electoral Court (Tribunal Regional Eleitoral, TRE), all headed by judges selected from other courts.[32] The electoral courts are responsible not only for judicial tasks such as ruling on disputes and potential violations of electoral law, but also for actually implementing the elections, such as registering voters and candidates, installing voting machines, counting votes, publishing the results, as well as issuing regulations and monitoring compliance.[30][31]
Presidential candidates
Declared candidates
- Joaquim Barbosa (Christian Democracy), Justice of the Supreme Federal Court (2003–2014)[33]
- Flávio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party), senator for Rio de Janeiro (2019–present)[34]
- Ronaldo Caiado (Social Democratic Party), governor of Goiás (2019–2026), senator for Goiás (2015–2019), federal deputy for Goiás (1991–1995, 1999–2015), and candidate for president in 1989[35]
- Edmilson Costa (Brazilian Communist Party), general secretary of the Brazilian Communist Party (2016–present) and Ivan Pinheiro's running mate in 2010[36]
- Augusto Cury (Avante), psychiatrist and bestselling author[37]
- Cabo Daciolo (National Mobilization), federal deputy for Rio de Janeiro (2015–2019) and candidate for president in 2018[38]
- Hertz Dias (United Socialist Workers' Party), rapper, public school teacher, and Vera Lúcia's running mate in 2018[39]
- Samara Martins (Popular Unity), dentist, vice president of the Popular Unity, and Leonardo Péricles's running mate in 2022[40]
- Rui Costa Pimenta (Workers' Cause Party), president of the Workers' Cause Party (1995–present) and candidate for president in 2002, 2010 and 2014[41]
- Aldo Rebelo (Christian Democracy), minister of defence (2015–2016), of science, technology and innovations (2015), and of sports (2011–2015); president of the Chamber of Deputies (2005–2007), chief minister of the Secretariat of Institutional Affairs (2004–2005), and federal deputy for São Paulo (1991–2011)[42]
- Renan Santos (Mission Party), president of the Mission Party (2023–present) and co-founder of the Free Brazil Movement[43]
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Worker's Party), president of Brazil (2003–2010, 2023–present) and federal deputy for São Paulo (1987–1991)[44]
- Romeu Zema (New Party), governor of Minas Gerais (2019–2026)[45]
Psychiatrist
Augusto Cury
Rapper and teacher
Hertz Dias
Dentist
Samara Martins
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Withdrawn or declined to be candidates
- Ciro Gomes (Brazilian Social Democracy Party), federal deputy for Ceará (2007–2011), minister of national integration (2003–2006) and of finance (1994), governor of Ceará (1991–1994), and candidate for president in 1998, 2002, 2018, and 2022[46][47]
- Eduardo Bolsonaro, federal deputy for São Paulo (2015–2025)[48][49]
- Tarcísio de Freitas, governor of São Paulo (2023–present), minister of Infrastructure (2019–2022), and director general of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (2014–2015)[50]
- Fernando Haddad, minister of finance (2023–2026), mayor of São Paulo (2013–2017), minister of education (2005–2012), and runner-up candidate in 2018[51]
- Ratinho Júnior, governor of Paraná (2019–present) and federal deputy for Paraná (2007–2015)[52]
- Eduardo Leite, governor of Rio Grande do Sul (2019–2022, 2023–present)[53]
- Gusttavo Lima, singer and songwriter[54]
- Jones Manoel, communist influencer and political commentator[55]
- Felipe Neto, YouTuber and businessman[56]
- Marina Silva, federal deputy for São Paulo (2026–present), minister of the environment (2003–2008, 2023–2026), senator for Acre (1995–2002, 2008–2011), and candidate for president in 2010, 2014, and 2018[57]
Ineligible or disqualified candidates
The following individuals have expressed an interest in running, but are currently ineligible or disqualified:
- Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil (2019–2022) and federal deputy for Rio de Janeiro (1991–2018)[58][59] (endorsed son Flávio Bolsonaro)[34]
- On 30 June 2023, Bolsonaro was declared ineligible until 2030 for abuse of political power and misuse of the media after attacking the Brazilian electoral system at a meeting with foreign ambassadors on 18 July 2022, broadcast on the public television network TV Brasil. On 11 September 2025, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison for being involved in the 2022–2023 coup d'état plot.
- Nikolas Ferreira, federal deputy for Minas Gerais (2023–present)[60][61] (endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro)[62]
- Pablo Marçal, businessman and influencer[67] (endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro)[68]
- On 21 February 2025, Marçal was declared ineligible until 2032 for abuse of economic and political power, misuse of the media, and illicit fundraising during his campaign in the 2024 São Paulo mayoral election.[69] He was convicted for the second time in April and for the third time in July for other electoral crimes committed in 2024.[70][71]
Campaign
In late-October 2025, President Lula da Silva announced the beginning of his re-election campaign, running for a fourth presidential term.[72][73] Some raised concerns about Lula's age, especially following a fall and brain bleed he suffered in December 2024.[73] Days after announcing his re-election campaign, Operation Containment, a police operation in Rio de Janeiro that resulted in the deaths of 120 people, occurred, with Valor International reporting that the operation was used by President Lula to support an image of being tough on crime.[74] Polls at the time from Quaest reported that 38% of respondents made crime their primary concern.[72]
In December 2025, Flávio Bolsonaro, a far-right senator of Rio de Janeiro and son of the imprisoned Jair Bolsonaro, announced his pre-candidacy.[72][75] Shortly after announcing his pre-candidacy, he suggested dropping out of the campaign in return for favors, saying "There’s a possibility I won’t go all the way, ... have a price for that. I will negotiate."[75] Many believed this meant that Bolsonaro was saying he would drop out of the race if his father was released from prison.[75] Bolsonaro later retracted this statement saying that after speaking with his father, he would continue with his campaign.[75]
Congress
The results of the previous general elections and the current composition of the National Congress are given below. The party composition changed during the course of the legislature due to replacements of members, changes in their party affiliation, and mergers of parties. In 2026, all members of the Chamber of Deputies and two thirds of the Senate (two senators from each state and the Federal District) will be up for election.
| Party | Chamber of Deputies | Senate | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected | Incumbent | +/– | Elected | Incumbent | +/– | Up for election[76] | ||||
| 2022 | 2026[77] | 2018 | 2022 | 2026[76] | 2026 | 2030 | ||||
| Liberal Party[a] | 99 | 99 |  | 1 | 8 | 17 |  8 | 7 | 10 | |
| Workers' Party | 69 | 66 |  3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 3 | |
| Brazil Union | 59 | 44 | 15 | 8[b] | 5 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 2 | |
| Progressistas | 47 | 49 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 42 | 51 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 3 | |
| Brazilian Democratic Movement | 42 | 39 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 1 | |
| Republicans[c] | 40 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |
| Podemos | 18[d] | 18 | | 4[e] | 1[f] | 4 | 1 | 4 | N/a | |
| Democratic Labour Party | 17 | 17 | | 2 | 0 | 2 | | 2 | N/a | |
| Brazilian Socialist Party | 14 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1 | |
| Brazilian Social Democracy Party | 13 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | N/a | |
| Socialism and Liberty Party | 12 | 12 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | | N/a | N/a | |
| Avante | 7 | 7 | | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | N/a | |
| Solidarity | 7[g] | 6 | 1 | 2[h] | 0 | 0 | 2 | N/a | N/a | |
| Communist Party of Brazil | 6 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | N/a | N/a | |
| Green Party | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | N/a | N/a | |
| Democratic Renewal Party | 5[i] | 5 | | 3[j] | 0 | 0 | 3 | N/a | N/a | |
| Cidadania[k] | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | N/a | N/a | |
| New Party | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | N/a | |
| Sustainability Network | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | N/a | N/a | |
| Mission Party | N/a | 1 | 1 | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | |
| Total | 513 | 513 | N/a | 54 | 27 | 81 | N/a | 54 | 27 | |
| Outgoing senators[76] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Federative Unit | Senator | Party | |
| Acre | Marcio Bittar | Liberal Party | |
| Sérgio de Oliveira Cunha | Social Democratic Party | ||
| Alagoas | Eudócia Caldas | Liberal Party | |
| Renan Calheiros | Brazilian Democratic Movement | ||
| Amapá | Randolfe Rodrigues | Workers' Party | |
| Lucas Barreto | Social Democratic Party | ||
| Amazonas | Eduardo Braga | Brazilian Democratic Movement | |
| Plínio Valério | Brazilian Social Democracy Party | ||
| Bahia | Angelo Coronel | Republicans | |
| Jaques Wagner | Workers' Party | ||
| Ceará | Eduardo Girão | New Party | |
| Cid Gomes | Brazilian Socialist Party | ||
| Espírito Santo | Fabiano Contarato | Workers' Party | |
| Marcos do Val | Podemos | ||
| Federal District | Leila Barros | Democratic Labour Party | |
| Izalci Lucas | Liberal Party | ||
| Goiás | Vanderlan Cardoso | Social Democratic Party | |
| Jorge Kajuru | Brazilian Socialist Party | ||
| Maranhão | Eliziane Gama | Workers' Party | |
| Weverton Rocha | Democratic Labour Party | ||
| Mato Grosso | Carlos Fávaro | Social Democratic Party | |
| Jayme Campos | Brazil Union | ||
| Mato Grosso do Sul | Nelsinho Trad | Social Democratic Party | |
| Soraya Thronicke | Podemos | ||
| Minas Gerais | Rodrigo Pacheco | Brazilian Socialist Party | |
| Carlos Viana | Podemos | ||
| Pará | Jader Barbalho | Brazilian Democratic Movement | |
| Zequinha Marinho | Podemos | ||
| Paraíba | Veneziano Vital do Rêgo | Brazilian Democratic Movement | |
| Daniella Ribeiro | Progressistas | ||
| Paraná | Flávio Arns | Brazilian Socialist Party | |
| Oriovisto Guimarães | Brazilian Social Democracy Party | ||
| Pernambuco | Fernando Dueire | Brazilian Democratic Movement | |
| Humberto Costa | Workers' Party | ||
| Piauí | Marcelo Castro | Brazilian Democratic Movement | |
| Ciro Nogueira | Progressistas | ||
| Rio de Janeiro | Flávio Bolsonaro | Liberal Party | |
| Carlos Portinho | Liberal Party | ||
| Rio Grande do Norte | Styvenson Valentim | Brazilian Social Democracy Party | |
| Zenaide Maia | Social Democratic Party | ||
| Rio Grande do Sul | Luis Carlos Heinze | Progressistas | |
| Paulo Paim | Workers' Party | ||
| Rondônia | Marcos Rogério Brito | Liberal Party | |
| Confúcio Moura | Brazilian Democratic Movement | ||
| Roraima | Roberta Acioly | Republicans | |
| Chico Rodrigues | Brazilian Socialist Party | ||
| Santa Catarina | Esperidião Amin | Progressistas | |
| Ivete da Silveira | Brazilian Democratic Movement | ||
| São Paulo | Mara Gabrilli | Social Democratic Party | |
| Alexandre Giordano | Podemos | ||
| Sergipe | Rogério Carvalho | Workers' Party | |
| Alessandro Vieira | Brazilian Democratic Movement | ||
| Tocantins | Eduardo Gomes | Liberal Party | |
| Irajá Abreu | Social Democratic Party | ||
Opinion polls
See also
Notes
- Named Party of the Republic before 2019.
- 4 senators from the Social Liberal Party and 4 senators from Democrats, which merged to form Brazil Union in 2022.
- Named Brazilian Republican Party before 2019.
- Including 6 deputies from the Social Christian Party, which merged into Podemos in 2023.
- Including 2 senators from the Humanist Party of Solidarity, which merged into Podemos in 2019, and 1 senator from the Social Christian Party.
- Senator from the Social Christian Party.
- Including 3 deputies from the Republican Party of the Social Order, which merged into Solidarity in 2023.
- Including 1 senator from the Republican Party of the Social Order.
- 4 deputies from Patriota and 1 deputy from the Brazilian Labour Party, which merged to form the Democratic Renewal Party in 2023.
- 2 senators from the Brazilian Labour Party and 1 senator from the Progressive Republican Party, which merged into Patriota in 2019.
- Named Popular Socialist Party before 2019.