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.

Notícias relacionadas:

• OAS to send international mission to monitor elections in Brazil.
• Electoral Court: Vote counting is transparent, auditable, secure.

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.”

The number of women in the Brazilian lower house and the Senate will be the highest in history. In the former, the number of women elected rose from 90 to 109, a surge of 21 percent.

This outcome occurred despite a decline in the number of female candidates. In 2022, 3,317 women ran for the office of federal representative. In 2026, they numbered 2,820, down 24 percent.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Gender-based political violence in Brazil increase 11-fold in 4 years.
• Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula head for runoff in Brazil’s presidential race.
• Head of Brazil’s Electoral Court notes smooth running of elections.

For the Senate, Brazilians elected twelve women to the 54 seats up for grabs – the highest since the military dictatorship ended, in 1985. In 2018, when two-thirds of the Senate were also up for election, eight women were elected.

Brazil has 81 senators in each legislative session. Each serves an eight-year term. Every four years, one-third or two-thirds of the Senate is renewed. As a result, the number of female senators will increase from the current fifteen to eighteen next year.

Far from equality

Despite the change, women remain a minority in both houses of Congress. In the lower house, women will account for 21 percent of the 513 representatives in the next legislative session. The coalition comprising the Workers’ Party (PT), the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), and the Green Party (PV) elected the largest share of women – 34 out of the 109 elected.

As for the Senate, the number of female senators starting next year will reach 22.2 percent of the 81 seats. Those elected this year will take office in February, with terms running through 2035.

The Federal District elected two women. Since it already has one representative, the Federal District is now the only unit of the federation with three female senators.

Agendas for women

The increase in the number of elected female lawmakers does not necessarily translate into policies focused on women, says Flávia Biroli, a professor of political science at the University of Brasília.

In her view, as the number of women in elected office increases, so does the diversity of their views, and some will advocate for patriarchal, rather than egalitarian, perspectives.

“You can have elected women representing economic views that are harmful to the vast majority of women. For example, you can have an elected woman – as is the case with Senator Bia Kicis – who voted against the law on equal pay for women and men.”

Black women

The number of black women elected has also risen, at least in the lower house of Congress. A survey conducted by the organization Mulheres Negras Decidem found that 15 black women were elected to federal Congress in 2026 – a 66.6 percent increase from 2022, when nine were elected.

The organization’s political coordinator, Tainah Pereira, celebrates this progress.

“It’s also interesting to note that the vast majority of these black women who are currently in the lower house and who were elected for the next legislative session are young women. So, we’re seeing a renewal of black women in leadership, and I think we can have high expectations for the work of these leaders who have now made it to office.”

The Senate, however, saw a setback. No black female candidate was elected. Benedita da Silva (PT), the first black woman to hold a seat in the Senate in 1998, lost her reelection bid in Rio de Janeiro. To date, only four black women have served as senators.

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.

Flávio Bolsonaro (of the Liberal Party, PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (of the Workers’ Party, PT) will go head-to-head in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election. The two candidates received the most votes in the first round, held this Sunday (Oct. 4), as per data from the Superior Electoral Court.

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

Notícias relacionadas:

• Elections 2026: About 158.7M voters to cast ballots across Brazil.

As of 11:21 p.m., 99.99 percent of the ballots had been tallied.

The presidential election is decided in a runoff when no candidate obtains more than half of the valid votes in the first round. The runoff is scheduled for October 25.

Flávio Bolsonaro

At a press conference following the announcement of the results, the presidential hopeful said the outcome showed that “Brazil wants change.”

“That’s my take on what happened today. I was very happy with the results across all regions. Nearly 56 million Brazilians – men and women alike – cast their vote of confidence in change. I was very happy with the number of Brazilians who went to the polls, did not stay home, and wanted this change,” he declared.

“I am happy about the real possibility that, in three weeks, Brazil will give a definitive answer that it wants a modern government, with fewer ministries. A government that will appoint at least four justices to the Supreme Court, who will not try to interfere in elections,” he added.

“I am the only candidate who has committed to ending re-election. I only need one term to put the Brazilian people at the center of my government, so that I can solve Brazil’s real problems. I want the opportunity to take care of Brazil, to take care of the Brazilian people.”

Lula

Brazil’s president and candidate for re-election gave a speech around 9:40 p.m. in an auditorium at the Renaissance Hotel, near Paulista Avenue in São Paulo.

Lula thanked voters for their support and said he had expected to win in the first round. He noted that the result was unexpected but that now, in the runoff, he would have the opportunity to show the public who the best candidate is.

“We’ve just learned a lesson about democracy in Brazil through the Brazilian people’s vote,” he said right at the start of his speech. “I’ll admit to you that I was convinced I was going to win the election in the first round. But I’ve thought that before,” he said. “But we have the second round, and the second round is the moment of truth. It’s time for us to show the true picture of Brazil today and the Brazil we want. So starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a new campaign,” he added.

Lula criticized his opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, and said that in the runoff election, it will be possible to shed more light on the PL candidate’s background.

“On the other side, we have nothing but uncertainty, with a background marked by a shadowy past. There is nothing that points to a promising future for Brazilian society. There is no background on the father, no background on the son, and we don’t know if there will be any background on other relatives. It’s a shadowy background, with shadowy connections, with extremely serious suspicions, involving ties to militias, organized crime, and the murders in Rio de Janeiro,” he said.

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.

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• 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.

“A huge relief.” That’s how Kaio*, 42, described his reaction upon hearing the news last Friday (Sep. 25) that online gambling companies, or “bets,” had been banned in Brazil. He says he is trying to rebuild his life after losing his car, his home, and his job because of gambling debts.

Today, Kaio lives alone in a dormitory in a small town in Goiás state. There, he sleeps on the floor every night. Fearing for his safety because of debts he incurred with loan sharks, he chose to distance himself from his family and stay away. He acknowledges that, over the past six years, his gambling addiction has turned his life upside down.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Online gambling shrinks Brazil’s consumption and economic activity.
• Brazilian families lost USD 12 billion to online gambling in 2025.
• Brazil expands telemedicine care for gambling addiction.

For this reason, he decided to seek help at a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS), where he began attending therapy groups and seeing doctors earlier this year. He takes three medications a day.

Agência Brasil has been reporting on the issue since the first warnings about rising gambling addiction and its impact on household finances.

Regulation

Although online betting was authorized in 2018, it was not regulated until December 2023. In other words, betting platforms operated with virtually no regulatory framework for at least five years.

It was only after regulations were introduced that rules were established requiring operators to display messages discouraging gambling and warning of its harmful effects.

Vulnerabilities

Psychiatrist Katia Branco, supervisor of the Pro-Amiti Group, which treats and studies impulse control disorders at Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo, explains that vulnerable individuals are the group most susceptible to gambling addiction and have been exposed to misinformation and misleading advertising from all sides.

According to her, people have been bombarded with ads that foster the false notion that gambling can serve as a source of supplemental income. “These are people who want quick returns and are led to believe they can achieve this through betting. This has become truly dangerous.”

Billions in losses

Brazilian households lost BRL 62.5 billion to betting from October 2024 to March 2026 - the difference between the amount wagered and the winnings paid out. This amounts to an average loss of BRL 4.7 billion per month over the period.

Unenforced regulations

The law regulating betting required, for example, that companies block access to users identified as compulsive gamblers. But according to attorney Júlio Leone, this never happened. On the contrary, companies sent countless bonuses and advertisements to bettors. “That’s where bettors loses all their money,” the attorney told Agência Brasil in August.

Kaio confirms that this was exactly what was happening. “My cellphone wouldn’t stop receiving messages.”

People of all ages fell victim to violations by the platforms, including teenagers.

Survey data indicate that 20.4 percent of students in the final years of elementary school and high school said they had placed online bets in the past year. The survey was conducted at the request of the Joint Parliamentary Front for Education by Equidade.info, an initiative that produces data for research. It covered 1,912 students from 191 schools across the country.

Among the most striking findings was that some students had started gambling as early as age 11. At least 9.5 percent of students in this age group reported having gambled before.

Psychologist Mariana Kehl, a member of the Brazilian Psychological Society, explains that young people are more vulnerable to such temptations because their brains are still developing.

Experts explain that the brain regions linked to pleasure and dopamine are highly active during adolescence, while the areas responsible for impulse control and risk assessment do not fully mature until a person’s early 20s.

“Adolescents intensely experience the pleasure of winning a bet, but they do not yet have the capacity to control the impulse to place the next bet,” she says.

Suicide risks

Health care professionals have observed that gamblers of all ages exhibit signs of hopelessness, feeling trapped, social withdrawal, increased alcohol use, or significant behavioral changes.

According to psychiatrist Branco, statements about death or no longer wanting to live should be taken seriously and warrant seeking help.

“Suicidal ideation should be addressed more openly, both in the doctor’s office and in therapy groups. With proper management, we can reduce the risk and try to help patients,” Branco notes.

The specialist points out patients were extremely anxious because of the losses caused by gambling. “Some have thoughts of death, and in the most severe cases, they already experience suicidal ideation because of the financial losses they have suffered,” she explains.

Seeking help is essential

Neurosurgeon Orlando Maia says that people with gambling addiction may come to see gambling as part of their daily lives as they seek the reward it provides. He explains that people often do not recognize the problem on their own. “They need family members or friends who can help.”

Psychologist Claudia Feres, who works at a Psychosocial Support Center in the Federal District, recommends that people with gambling addiction and their families seek professional help. “People come to us who have had suicidal thoughts and have, for example, attempted to take their own lives. It’s a desperate cry for help, as if they were saying they need to end their lives right then and there.”

One of the problems, experts say, is that online gambling was easily accessible and available practically 24 hours a day.

“It’s a casino in your pocket,” said Luiz Carlos*, 71, a member of Gamblers Anonymous. “Thank God I don’t gamble anymore, because if I did, I’d be lost. In my day, we had to leave the house to gamble. Today, you don’t have to anymore,” he told Rádio Nacional in an interview days before the government banned betting platforms amid public health concerns.

In August, as health problems linked to gambling addiction increased, Brazil’s national public health system, the SUS, expanded the number of monthly telephone counseling sessions for people experiencing problems related to online gambling.

Following Friday’s announcement of the betting ban, the Ministry of Health announced it would step up efforts to reach out to people with gambling problems, offering support and treatment when necessary. According to Minister Alexandre Padilha, the ministry will implement active outreach policies based on data shared by the Ministries of Finance and Public Security and the Federal Revenue Service.

*Fictitious names were used at the request of the interviewees.

The Brazilian Army coordinated the eighth edition of the Guardião Cibernético (“Cyber Guardian”) event from September 21 to 25, a couple of weeks prior to Brazil’s presidential election. The exercise took place amid warnings from experts as well as the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) regarding possible foreign interference in the Brazilian election.

The event brought together 1,300 participants in Brasília and six other state capitals, including São Paulo, Recife, Curitiba, and Manaus. The drill involved some 300 organizations and representatives from 14 countries.

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Described as “one of the most comprehensive cybersecurity training exercises in the Southern Hemisphere,” the exercise simulated digital threats with the aim of fostering cooperation between public and private institutions in the event of cyberattacks that could affect essential services for the population.

“During the drill, scenarios involving complex and coordinated cyberattacks were simulated, allowing procedures to be tested, contingency plans to be refined, and solutions to be identified in order to enhance national resilience,” the army stated in a press release.

In addition to the Armed Forces, the initiative brought together government agencies, regulatory bodies, and operators of critical infrastructure in the energy, water supply, telecommunications, and finance sectors, among others.

Risks of cyberattacks

Last week, a report by ABIN published by Folha de São Paulo and confirmed by TV Brasil warned of the risk of influence or interference by the US in the 2026 Brazilian elections.

Prepared in August of this year, the document classifies the possibility of foreign interference as a “critical issue” and contextualizes the problem by stating that “reaffirming US hegemony in Latin America” is a priority for US President Donald Trump’s second administration.

Analysts heard by Agência Brasil have warned of the risk of cyber operations by the US or big tech companies aimed at influencing the general elections in October, which could destabilize information and computer systems.

On August 12, the White House issued a memorandum outlining a partnership with private companies for actions involving “access to such information systems without the owner’s or operator’s authorization or exceeding authorized access.”

This week, Australia reported a hack of a website containing the country’s public health statistics by OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies.

The Superior Electoral Court found that the number of cases involving gender-based political violence has increased more than 11-fold in four years. In 2022, 15 cases were brought before the Electoral Court. As of September 2026, cases have reached 177.

Since 2018, the federal prosecutors have recorded 436 complaints of gender-based political violence. In more than half of the cases (221), this violence was of a moral nature. And in 40 percent of them (177), psychological violence was involved.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Brazil’s Supreme Court expands law aimed at violence against women.
• Half of Brazilian women claim to have faced violence from partners.
• Reports of digital violence against women rise 188% in one year.

Political violence against women can take many forms, ranging from intimidation and attacks on a woman’s honor to threats and murders. Cases such as that of Rio Councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was murdered in 2018 for reasons linked to her political activities, and the attacks suffered by Congresswoman Maria do Rosário in Congress in 2014, highlight the extent to which this type of violence can escalate.

Awareness

In an effort to combat this type of violence, the Superior Electoral Court and the Federal Prosecution Service on Tuesday (Sep. 22) launched a campaign dubbed Política é Substantivo Feminino (“Politics is a feminine noun,” in reference to the fact that the word “politics” follows the feminine gender in Portuguese grammar). The initiative aims to raise awareness among the public about the role of combating the various forms of political violence perpetrated against women.

Court Judge Estela Aranha explained the impact of this type of violence on Brazilian democracy.

“It [gender-based political violence] silences women individually. A woman thinks, ‘I’m going to leave politics,’ but it also affects the community as a whole, because other women who witness the violence think, ‘Why should I get into politics?’ You drive out those who are already involved as well as those who are thinking of getting involved. And this is serious, because democracy presupposes the political and electoral participation of all citizens – men and women alike – and women are being excluded from the debate,” she argued.

Gender and race

During the campaign launch, women’s rights and black rights organizations presented court head Judge Minister Nunes Marques with a letter expressing concern over the rise in political violence based on gender and race in this year’s elections and demanding effective measures to prevent further incidents.

The document states that, in recent weeks, social movements have received reports in various states from female candidates – especially black, lesbian, bisexual, and trans women – who have been threatened with death and sexual violence, had their addresses and family members’ information exposed, and suffered racist and LGBT-phobic attacks, persecution, intimidation, and physical assaults.

The text also emphasizes that gender-based violence does not affect all women in the same way. A study by the Marielle Franco Institute analyzed 77 cases from 2021 to 2025. Among the victims, 87 percent were black.

Women in elected office

Brazil is one of the countries with the lowest representation of women in Parliament. In a ranking of 184 countries, Brazil ranks 135th, with only 17.5 percent of women in Congress, trailing behind nations with less democratic regimes, such as North Korea and Burkina Faso.

At the local level, Brazil has over 700 municipalities with not a single woman in elected office, and only 16 percent of city governments are led by women.

Raquel Branquinho, coordinator of the working group on preventing and combating gender-based political violence at the Office of the Prosecutor-General for Electoral Affairs, says that Brazilian legislation is in line with international guidelines on women’s representation.

“The major problem to be addressed, however, is violence against these women,” she said.

In his opening address to the high-level segment of the 81st United Nations General Assembly - traditionally delivered by a Brazilian president - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will emphasize the importance of multilateralism, one of the central tenets of Brazilian foreign policy, in a context marked by a proliferation of international conflicts.

The president arrived in New York on Sunday (Sep. 20). In his speech, he will advocate for negotiation as a means of resolving disputes, respect for international humanitarian law, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Lula will present Brazil’s perspective on the main issues on the international agenda.

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• Brazil rejects Trump’s criticism of its domestic fight against drugs.

Reform of the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, will be among the topics to be addressed. For years, Brazil has advocated for updating the composition and functioning of the body and has criticized its inability to respond effectively to international conflicts.

Lula will hold bilateral talks with other heads of state, in addition to meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is in the final stages of his term at the helm of the international organization. He will also meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the progressive Democrat who took office at the beginning of the year.

This will be Lula’s 11th appearance at the United Nations General Assembly as president of Brazil. During his three terms in office, he has only missed the assembly once, in 2010.

Trump

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided any information on the possibility of a meeting between Lula and US President Donald Trump before he returns to Brazil on Tuesday (22).

The US president will be the second speaker, immediately after Lula, raising the possibility that the two leaders could cross paths behind the scenes in the plenary hall. Last year, they briefly encountered each other as Lula was leaving the stage after his speech and Trump was preparing to deliver his address.

More than just disillusioned with politics, Brazilian voters are staying away from the polls year after year because they feel exhausted and lonely. The finding comes from a survey conducted by Plataforma Avaaz with pollster Datafolha, released this week.

In this groundbreaking study, experts linked the lack of community ties and contact with nature to disinterest in politics, pointing to these factors as explanations for voter abstention.

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About 30 million voters – nearly one in three – did not vote in the last elections. The survey found that, in general, this abstention was driven by what it termed an “epidemic” of loneliness, mental exhaustion, and a dependence on technology.

“We discovered that the ‘disengaged’ are caught in a destructive cycle,” explained Nana Queiroz, director of Avaaz’s Desapocalíptica Project, who believes this group turns to TV and social media “as a kind of anesthetic for this exhaustion.”

She also pointed out that social media in Brazil keeps people in their own personal circles of users with similar opinions – in addition to fueling “a culture of hate.” In these cases, they feel more isolated, hopeless, or guilty for wasting so much time on social media or TV.

“When these people feel this way – guilty, exhausted, and isolated – they believe they lack the power to bring about collective change, and that is why they are stopping voting,” she argued.

The “disengaged”

Nearly half of Brazilians identified with this behavior (47%) were classified in the survey as “disengaged.” These are individuals who have stopped voting altogether or vote only rarely. Three in ten have given up voting entirely due to this lack of engagement.

Young people fit this profile the most. According to the data, young people aged 18 to 34 make up 44 percent of the disengaged group, signaling the need for action. Only two out of ten young people say they have a connection to their community and feel good about it.

Queiroz draws attention to grueling work schedules, such as the 6–1 shift (six days of work followed by one of rest), which reduce the time available for leisure and for building a social network.

Good living

To rebuild that connection, the recommendation is to develop what are known as “good living” policies. These are initiatives that also promote contact with nature, access to culture, leisure, and more accessible cities in general, Queiroz explains.

“Saying ‘good morning’ to someone at the bakery already has an impact on your level of happiness,” she noted.

Contact with the environment is also seen as restorative to mental health, especially in cases of anxiety and boredom among young people. Measures to curb digital addiction are also necessary.

“If you want to win these people back and get them to the polls, you need to create policies that change their real lives, so they feel that their vote has a real impact on their lives,” the specialist stressed.

The survey was based on a foreign methodology that looks at quality-of-life indicators less frequently examined in economically focused surveys – which tend to focus more on access to consumption, material comfort, and economic performance itself.