The Organization of American States (OAS) described the Brazilian election as a civic and peaceful process and praised the Superior Electoral Court and the Regional Electoral Courts for demonstrating “significant technical, logistical, and organizational capacity.”

The OAS has been in Brazil over the past few days with 91 independent observers monitoring the local electoral process. These observations are part of the preliminary report released on Tuesday (Oct. 6) by the Organization.

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• OAS to send international mission to monitor elections in Brazil.
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The document also highlights the broad participation of researchers, academics, and experts in testing the voting machines, the increase in biometric data registration to 89 percent since the 2024 elections, and the expansion of electronic services available through the “Autoatendimento” platform and the e-Título mobile app.

While attesting to the fairness of the election, the organization also reported “a climate of tension and strong political polarization, marked by excessive judicial involvement, personal confrontations, and disinformation narratives intended to sow distrust in the integrity of the electronic voting system.”

Points of concern

Regarding points of concern, the OAS highlighted the absence of an electoral debate between the candidates for the country’s president and vice president, but acknowledged that numerous debates were held among gubernatorial candidates.

The report also cited the “lack of harmonized legal criteria within the Electoral Court regarding the use of real or AI-generated images of individuals barred from participating in politics in both digital and physical campaign materials.”

Based on data from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, the House of Representatives reported that, among the 513 federal representatives elected this Sunday (Oct. 4), 183 will serve their first term. This figure represents a renewal rate of 35.67 percent of the House’s members. The lawmakers will represent the states and the Federal District during the 58th legislative session, from February 1, 2027, to January 31, 2031.

According to the House of Representatives, the percentage of new members (35.6%) remains in line with the House’s average renewal rate of 39.3 percent compared with the previous election.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Head of Brazil’s Electoral Court notes smooth running of elections.
• Brazil’s Electoral Court seeks to reduce abstention in runoff.
• Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula head for runoff in Brazil’s presidential race.

Meanwhile, a total of 301 federal lawmakers were reelected, representing 58.6 percent of those elected in October 2022. There are also 29 former federal representatives from previous legislatures who have returned to the House.

Black and brown elected officials

Candidates who self-identified as black or brown won 135 seats in the House of Representatives, accounting for 26.3 percent of the 513 federal lawmakers. This figure represents a 2.9 percent decline from the 139 black and brown federal legislators elected in 2022.

In terms of race and skin color, the Superior Electoral Court’s database recorded a total of 10,206 candidacies by black people for all elective offices in the 2026 election, accounting for 49.64 percent of the total.

Indigenous people

Among those elected who self-identified as indigenous, only three candidates secured four-year terms in the House of Representatives to continue advocating for indigenous peoples and their territories. One of them is Sônia Guajajara, the current head of the first Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, created during President Lula’s administration. She was elected by the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL).

With this result, the number of indigenous representatives has shrunk to approximately 0.58 percent of the 513 legislators, compared with the 2022 election, when five indigenous candidates were elected to the House.

In total, the Electoral Court registered 73 candidacies by indigenous people for tha House of Representatives.

Gender

On Sunday (4), 108 women were elected to the next session of the House of Representatives, making it the largest female delegation in the House’s history.

This figure represents an 18.68 percent increase compared with 2022 - that is, 17 more women than the 91 elected in the previous election.

Damares Medina, a lawyer and professor with a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law, celebrates this historic number of women, even though they hold different political positions on key issues.

“Because it doesn’t matter - each in her own way - they convey the message that a woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be.”

Party

The Liberal Party (PL) won the largest bloc in the House and expanded its delegation to 121 legislators for the next legislative session. That is 24 more than in the previous election.

Medina explains the significance of having the largest delegation in the House of Representatives. “It’s important because every seat is power. Each one represents influence, dynamics, and the factors that will determine how authority is distributed in the Congress.”

The second-largest caucus was the Brazil of Hope Federation, comprising the Workers’ Party (PT), the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), and the Green Party (PV). It has 88 representatives, six more than in the previous election.

The lawyer interviewed by Rádio Nacional explains that the formation of large party blocs ensures that priorities are addressed. “Once formed, these blocs wield immense power over budget allocation and the distribution of parliamentary amendments.”

Damares Medina also interprets the message sent by voters this Sunday by electing more lawmakers from the conservative spectrum to Congress, marking a significant shift in the balance of power between opposing political camps. She notes that this is not a recent development.

“If we analyze the historical data since the 1988 [Federal] Constitution, we can see that, little by little, the left wing has been losing the ideological battle and the intellectual debate,” said the constitutional lawyer.

Top-voted candidates

The election also set new voting records. Nikolas Ferreira (PL), a 30-year-old congressman reelected from Minas Gerais state, received more than 3.11 million votes, making him the most-voted lawmaker in the country’s history. He surpassed his own record from the previous election in 2022, when he was also the country’s most-voted candidate, with 1.47 million votes.

Coming in second among the top vote-getters for the House of Representatives, with 3,038,438 votes, was Lucas Pavanato (PL), 28, who currently serves as a city councilor in São Paulo and is a YouTuber. His total was nearly double that of the runner-up in the state, Congresswoman Erika Hilton (PSOL), who was reelected with 1,596,472 votes. The legislator, who currently chairs the House’s Commission for the Defense of Women’s Rights, set a record for the most votes received by a female member of the House.

*Priscilla Mazenotti, a reporter for Rádio Nacional/EBC, contributed to this report.

The president of the Superior Electoral Court, Kassio Nunes Marques, said on Sunday (Oct. 4) that he intends to take steps to reduce voter abstention in the second round.

According to the Electoral Court’s vote-tallying system, 21.08 percent of voters abstained in the first round, or 33.4 million people.

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“The idea is to intensify and refine all available mechanisms so that we can reduce this percentage in the second round,” Marques pointed out.

The first round also recorded 2.2 million blank and 3.6 million invalid ballots. Neither is counted among the valid votes.

The electorate totaled 158.7 million eligible voters, while 125 million cast a ballot.

Record high

The abstention rate recorded in the first round was the highest since 1998, when it stood at 21.5 percent.

In the first round of the 2022 presidential election, 20.95 percent of eligible voters did not cast a ballot.

Candidates Flávio Bolsonaro (Liberal Party – PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party – PT) will face off in Brazil’s presidential runoff. Voters will return to the polls on Sunday, October 25, 2026.

Flávio Bolsonaro finished the first round in first place, with 47.03 percent of the valid votes, or 56,103,033 in total. Lula came in second, with 45.16 percent, or 53,870,724.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula head for runoff in Brazil’s presidential race.

The presidential election goes to a runoff when no candidate secures more than half of the valid votes in the first round.

In seven states, the gubernatorial election went to a runoff, which will also be held on October 25.

Brazilians will go to the polls today (Oct. 4) to elect a president, governors, senators, and federal, state and district representatives. Approximately 158.7 million voters are eligible to vote, according to the Electoral Court.

Voters’ choices will determine who holds the offices responsible for decisions that directly affect people’s lives, including in areas such as health, education, public safety, transportation, infrastructure, and the economy.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Nearly 1M Brazilians abroad eligible to vote in 2026 elections.
• Brazil’s 2026 elections see record number of indigenous candidates.
• Brazilian army simulates cyber defense measures ahead of elections.

Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Brasília time); cell phones remain prohibited in the voting booth.

If a runoff is required for the presidential and gubernatorial races, it will be held on October 25.

Candidates to be elected

This year, voters will cast six votes: for president (and vice president), governor (and vice governor), two senators, a federal representative, and a state representative - or a district representative in the Federal District.

The elections will determine the composition of the federal and state executive branches and renew part of the legislative branch starting January 1, 2027. Representatives serve four-year terms, while senators serve eight-year terms.

Voter profile

The 2026 elections will feature the largest electorate in Brazilian history. Of the total number of eligible voters, 141,321,493 have already registered their biometric data, equivalent to 89.01 percent of the electorate, according to the Electoral Court.

According to the Superior Electoral Court, 605,800 voters are 16 years old and just over 1 million are 17. Voting is optional for both age groups.

Number of candidates

This election is also marked by a large number of candidates. The Electoral Court has registered approximately 21,000 candidates. More than half (11,700) are running for seats in state legislative assemblies.

A total of 7,803 candidates are running for seats in the House of Representatives.

Achievement of democracy

The right to vote has not always been available to all Brazilians. Throughout the country’s history, different groups have been excluded from the electoral process. Women, illiterate people, indigenous peoples, and the poor were, at various times, barred from participating in elections.

More recently, during the military dictatorship (1964–1985), a period marked by institutional disruption, voting and political rights were restricted, candidacies were revoked, and certain offices came to be filled through indirect elections.

Illiterate citizens regained the right to vote in 1985. Their right to vote was enshrined in the 1988 Federal Constitution.

In this context, the Electoral Court is responsible for organizing the electoral process in a way that guarantees the exercise of the right to vote as a pillar of Brazilian democracy.

In institutional material from its “Voto Limpo” (Clean Vote) series, the Superior Electoral Court describes the vote as “the highest expression of citizenship” and emphasizes that it gives citizens the freedom to choose who will govern the country.

Nearly 1 million Brazilians registered to vote abroad are eligible to vote in the 2026 elections. The Superior Electoral Court says 918,876 voters are registered in 134 countries, representing just over 0.5 percent of Brazil’s approximately 158.7 million eligible voters.

Brazilians living abroad vote only for president and vice president.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Brazilian army simulates cyber defense measures ahead of elections.
• Brazil’s 2026 elections see record number of indigenous candidates.
• OAS to send international mission to monitor elections in Brazil.

The number of Brazilians eligible to vote abroad has grown steadily. From 2010 to 2026, the number increased by 358 percent.

In 2010, there were about 210,000 registered voters abroad, rising to 354,000 in 2014. The number reached 500,000 in 2018 and nearly 700,000 in 2022.

Journalist Victoria Duarte, 30, is among these voters. A master’s student at the University of Niagara Falls, she has lived in Ontario, Canada, since August 2025. This will be her first time participating in a Brazilian election from abroad.

“I wanted to vote, even though I live abroad, because I know how important these elections are for my country’s future. I went through the entire process required to do so,” she told Agência Brasil.

Polling stations

To vote, Duarte and other Brazilian friends will have to travel to Toronto, where the nearest polling station is located.

According to the Brazilian Electoral Court, polling stations will be set up in 186 cities abroad. They will operate primarily at Brazilian consulates and embassies, but may also be located in schools, hotels, and other venues.

Living overseas has strengthened Duarte’s bond with Brazil. “I’ve become more patriotic and proud of my country. Anyone who lives abroad knows this because they have something to compare it with,” she said.

The countries with the largest Brazilian voter populations are the United States (265,400), Portugal (134,700), Japan (88,300), Canada (46,400), and Germany (41,500).

Profile

According to the Electoral Court, women account for 57 percent of registered voters outside Brazil, while men account for 43 percent. In terms of marital status, single voters make up the largest share, at 52 percent of the total. Married voters account for 42 percent, divorced voters for 6 percent, and widowed voters for 1 percent. (Figures do not total 100 percent due to rounding.)

The voter registry also lists 6,614 people with disabilities, representing 0.72 percent of the electorate.

With regard to educational attainment, 38 percent of voters residing abroad have completed higher education, the highest share among the recorded education levels. Those who have completed high school account for 29 percent, while those with some higher education but no degree account for 13 percent.

Voters who have not completed high school account for 10 percent, followed by those who have completed elementary school (5%), those who have not completed elementary school (3%), and those who can only read and write (1%).

As for age groups, voters aged 40 to 44 make up the largest group, followed by those aged 45 to 49 and 35 to 39.

Polarization

Duarte notes that Brazil’s political polarization is also evident among Brazilians living overseas.

“In general, people who come to Canada are better off financially and, as a result, tend to be more conservative. But there are also many young people here who are more progressive and tend to vote for the left,” she explained.

Justification for absence from voting

Voters who are abroad on Election Day and do not cast their ballots may justify their absence at one of the polling stations set up outside Brazil or through the e-Título app.

“There will be no polling stations designated exclusively for voters seeking to justify their absence. In-person voting may take place only at polling stations equipped with electronic voting machines,” the Court stated.

Fake videos created by artificial intelligence and low-quality information have replaced traditional fake news and have become the main digital threat to elections and democracy. This is the conclusion of the Internet, Democracy, and Elections Guide, published on Tuesday (Sep. 22) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br).

The guide highlights the abrupt shift between 2018 - the year of the first edition - and the current election cycle. Whereas open networks such as Facebook were the primary channels for dissemination back then, more restricted networks such as WhatsApp are now the main means of dissemination.

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CGI.br experts also noted that disinformation has become increasingly widespread, circulating simultaneously across multiple platforms. “In terms of format, video has become the primary vehicle, almost always accompanied by a short text that anchors and legitimizes the false narrative,” the document states. It is no wonder that institutions such as the World Economic Forum have considered disinformation one of the greatest global risks since 2025.

Given this scenario, the central role of the internet as a medium for information, entertainment, and communication is becoming a more important factor in democratic contests.

Recent tools, such as generative artificial intelligence, emerged during the 2022 election cycle but are expected to have an even greater impact this year when combined with dissemination tools, with more tailored targeting of specific user profiles and more complex narrative structures designed to appear more authentic.

“Today, digital platforms play a central role in how Brazilians stay informed about what is happening in the world, in the country, and in the cities where they live,” says CGI.br coordinator Renata Mielli.

She highlights the responsibility of private companies driven by economic objectives rather than the public interest. “Understanding how these environments function, how content is distributed, and what impact this has on public debate is essential to strengthening the integrity of information and democracy itself. Clarifying these mechanisms is one of the guide’s objectives.”

“Available on the CGI.br website, the publication addresses topics such as how content recommendation systems operate, the impact of generative AI on the electoral landscape, and how advanced tools - such as deepfakes and conversational language models - work.

The guide also includes guidelines for institutional efforts to combat disinformation and advice for citizens on how to avoid becoming victims of or spreading false or misleading content.

In addition to analyzing the structures of media outlets and social networks, the study highlights the role of their communicators - influencers. It acknowledges their prominent role but points to a fundamental difference from journalism: they do not follow a code of ethics, nor are they institutionally accountable for the accuracy of their statements or for inaccuracies - or even deliberate errors - in what they publish.

Warning

According to the study by the CGI.br group, the most frequently cited concern regarding deepfakes is their realism or credibility. As this type of deceptive content has undergone constant refinement, it now has the potential to deceive even voters who are highly experienced in evaluating content.

This type of content can foster widespread distrust of all kinds of information, including truthful information.

“The loss of trust in institutions such as the press and the judiciary, combined with political polarization, also contributes to this scenario, causing personal convictions to take precedence over fact-checking,” the guide warns.

Another problem that arises from this climate of mistrust is that people increasingly consume content that confirms what they already believe. “When they encounter information that contradicts these beliefs, they tend to dismiss it - a phenomenon known as motivated reasoning. In this sense, it can reinforce their ideologies,” the study points out.