General elections will be held in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

on 4 October 2026 to elect the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, members of the National Congress, the governors, vice governors, and legislative assemblies of all federative units, and the district council of

Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha (), officially the State District of Fernando de Noronha () and formerly known as the Federal Territory of Fernando de Noronha () until 1988, is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and ...

. If no candidate for president or governor receives a majority of the valid votes in the first round, a

runoff election The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

is held on 25 October. Incumbent president

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

of the

Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...

is eligible for a fourth term. He stated in 2022 that he will not seek re-election, but in 2024 stated that he could not rule out running for re-election to prevent "troglodytes" from coming to power in Brazil again. Having unsuccessfully run for president in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, Lula was elected in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and re-elected in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. He was then succeeded by his chief of staff,

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the only woman to have held the ...

, who was elected in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and re-elected in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

. Lula attempted to run for the presidency for a third non-consecutive term in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, but his candidacy was denied by the

Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...

due to his previous conviction on corruption charges in 2017. A series of court rulings led to his release from prison in 2019, followed by the annulment of his conviction and restoration of his political rights by 2021. For his vice presidential candidate in the 2022 election, Lula selected

Geraldo Alckmin Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho (; born 7 November 1952) is a Brazilian physician and politician currently serving as 26th vice president of Brazil. He previously was the List of governors of São Paulo, Governor of São Paulo (state), S� ...

, who had been a presidential candidate of the

Brazilian Social Democracy Party The Brazilian Social Democracy Party (, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Brazil. As the formerly third largest p ...

in 2006 (facing Lula in the second round) and 2018 but changed his affiliation to the

Brazilian Socialist Party The Brazilian Socialist Party (, PSB) is a political party in Brazil. It was founded in 1947, before being abolished by the military regime in 1965 and re-organised in 1989 after the re-democratisation of Brazil. It elected six Governors in 201 ...

in 2022. Lula won the 2022 election by the closest margin in Brazilian history, defeating incumbent president

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

by 1.8% (or 2,139,645 votes). Lula became the first Brazilian president to secure a third term, and received the highest number of votes in a Brazilian election. At the same time, Bolsonaro, elected in

, became the first incumbent president to lose a bid for a second term since the 1997 constitutional amendment allowing consecutive re-election. In response to his loss, some Bolsonaro supporters demanded a military coup to prevent Lula's inauguration, but failed to gather sufficient support. Before Lula's inauguration, Bolsonaro left the country for the United States and was later barred from running for a second term before 2030.

Background

From 1994 to 2014,

presidential elections in Brazil Direct presidential elections are held in Brazil as part of the general elections every four years (which has been regular since 1994), typically in October. The current electoral law provides for a two-round system in which a candidate must rec ...

were dominated by candidates of the centrist

and the left-wing

. After unsuccessful attempts in the

, and

presidential elections, Workers' Party candidate

was elected in the

and

presidential elections. His successor from the same party,

, was elected in the

and

presidential elections. The controversial 2016 impeachment of Rousseff removed her from office due to administrative misconduct, and she was succeeded by her vice president,

Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 1 January 2019. He took office after the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impe ...

of the centrist

Brazilian Democratic Movement The Brazilian Democratic Movement (, MDB) is a Brazilian political party. It is considered a " big tent party" and it is one of the parties with the greatest representation throughout the national territory, with the most numbers of senators, ...

. In 2017,

Operation Car Wash Operation Car Wash (, ) was a landmark anti-corruption probe in Brazil.Kurtenbach, S., & Nolte, D. (2017). Latin America's Fight against Corruption: The End of Impunity. GIGA Focus Lateinamerika, (03). Beginning in March 2014 as the investiga ...

controversially resulted in Lula being convicted on charges of corruption by judge

Sergio Moro Sergio Fernando Moro (; born 1 August 1972) is a Brazilian jurist, former federal judge, college professor, and politician. He was elected as a member of the Federal Senate for Paraná in October 2022. In 2015, he gained national attention as ...

and arrested, which prevented his intended candidacy in the

2018 Brazilian presidential election General elections were held in Brazil on 7 October 2018 to elect the president, National Congress of Brazil, National Congress and Governor (Brazil), state governors. As no candidate in the presidential election (and for the gubernatorial electi ...

, despite his substantial lead in the polls. He was replaced as his party's presidential candidate by former mayor of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Fernando Haddad Fernando Haddad (; born 25 January 1963) is a Brazilian scholar, lawyer and politician who has served as the Brazilian Minister of Finance since 1 January 2023. He was previously the mayor of São Paulo from 2013 to 2017 and the Brazilian mini ...

, who lost to right-wing candidate

of the Social Liberal Party. In 2019, Bolsonaro left the Social Liberal Party. This was followed by the dismissal or resignation of many members of the Bolsonaro administration, including Moro, whom he had appointed as Minister of Justice and Public Safety. Bolsonaro then attempted to create another party, the

Alliance for Brazil Alliance for Brazil (, ALIANÇA) was a Brazilian far-right political group that aimed to become a political party. With national-conservative roots, it was announced by President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro on 12 November 2019 after stating his de ...

, but he was unsuccessful. In 2021, Bolsonaro joined the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and selected

Walter Braga Netto Walter Souza Braga Netto (born 11 March 1957) is a retired Brazilian army general and former Minister of Defence. Braga was Commander of the Eastern Military Command and, until 31 December 2018, Federal Interventor in the Public Security of the s ...

of his party as the vice presidential candidate instead of

Hamilton Mourão Antônio Hamilton Martins Mourão (; born 15 August 1953) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who served as the 25th vice president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. Mourão served in the Brazilian Army for almost five decades from ...

, the incumbent vice president. A series of rulings by the

Supreme Federal Court The Federal Supreme Court (, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the country's Constitutional Court. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for constitutional issues and its rulings ...

questioning the legality of Lula's trial and the impartiality of then judge Moro led to Lula's release from prison in 2019, followed by the annulment of Moro's cases against Lula and the restoration of Lula's political rights by 2021. Lula launched his candidacy for president in 2022, selecting as his vice presidential candidate

, who had been a presidential candidate of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party in 2006 and 2018 but changed his affiliation to the left-wing

in 2022. The three parties supporting Bolsonaro in 2022 (Liberal Party,

Progressistas Progressistas (; PP) is a centre-right to Right-wing politics, right-wing political party in Brazil. Founded in 1995 as the Brazilian Progressive Party, it emerged from parties that were successors to National Renewal Alliance, ARENA, the ruling p ...

, and

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

) had supported Alckmin in 2018 and Rousseff in 2014. After Bolsonaro's departure from the Social Liberal Party, the party merged with the Democrats to form the

Brazil Union The Brazil Union () is a liberal-conservative political party in Brazil. The party was founded on 6 October 2021 through the merger of the Democrats (DEM) and the Social Liberal Party (PSL). The merger resulted in the biggest party in Brazil, ...

in 2022.

Electoral system

Brazil's

and

are elected as a joint

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...

using the

two-round system The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

. The first round of elections is held on the first Sunday of October, which in 2022 was on 2 October. A candidate who receives more than 50% of the total valid votes in the first round is elected. If the 50% threshold is not met by any candidate, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the first round participate in a second round of voting, held on the last Sunday of October (in this instance, 30 October 2022), and the candidate who receives a plurality of votes in the second round is elected. The

2022 Brazilian gubernatorial elections Gubernatorial elections were held in Brazil on 2 October 2022 as part of the 2022 Brazilian general election, nationwide general elections to elect tickets with state governors and their vice governors (as well as the Governor of the Federal Dist ...

to elect the governors and vice governors of all

states of Brazil The federative units of Brazil () are subnational entities with a certain degree of autonomy (self-government, self-regulation, and self-collection) and endowed with their own government and constitution, which together form the Brazil, Federat ...

and of the

Federal District A federal district is a specific administrative division in one of various federations. These districts may be under the direct jurisdiction of a federation's national government, as in the case of federal territory (e.g., India, Malaysia), or the ...

were held on the same dates and with the same two-round system as the presidential election. One-third of the 81 members of the

Brazilian Senate The Federal Senate () is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. When created under the Imperial Constitution in 1824, it was based on the House of Lords of the British Parliament, but since the Proclamation of the Republic in ...

were up for election in 2022, one senator being elected from each of the states and the Federal District using

plurality voting Plurality voting refers to electoral systems in which the candidates in an electoral district who poll more than any other (that is, receive a plurality) are elected. Under single-winner plurality voting, and in systems based on single-member ...

. The other two-thirds of the Senate were elected in 2018. All 513 members of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

(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 Legislative Assemblies of Brazilian states (state deputies) and of the

Legislative Chamber of the Federal District The Legislative Chamber of Federal District () is the unicameral legislative branch of Federal District in Brazil. The legislative chamber is composed by 24 district deputies ( Portuguese: ''deputados distritais''), which corresponds to three t ...

(district deputies), varying in size from 24 to 94 seats, are also elected. These elections are held using

open list Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a Political party, party's candidates are elected. This is as opposed to closed list, in which party lists ...

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

, with seats allocated using integer

quotient In arithmetic, a quotient (from 'how many times', pronounced ) is a quantity produced by the division of two numbers. The quotient has widespread use throughout mathematics. It has two definitions: either the integer part of a division (in th ...

s and the

D'Hondt method The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is an apportionment method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in proportional representation among political parties. It belongs to ...

. All seven members of the District Council of

are elected by

single non-transferable vote Single non-transferable vote or SNTV is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote. Being a semi-proportional variant of first-past-the-post voting, under SNTV small parties, as well as large parties, have a chance t ...

. Unlike elections for other offices in Brazil, candidates for this council are not nominated by political parties.

Voters

Voting in Brazil is allowed for all citizens over 16 years old. There is

compulsory voting Compulsory voting, also called universal civic duty voting or mandatory voting, is the requirement that registered voters participate in an election. As of January 2023, 21 countries have compulsory voting laws. Law enforcement in those countries ...

for

literate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

citizens between 18 and 70 years old except conscripts; as there is conscription in Brazil, those who serve the mandatory military service are not allowed to vote. 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, must pay a fine, normally R$3.51, which is equivalent to

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

0.67 as of October 2022. In some cases, the fine may be waived, reduced, or increased up to R$35.13 (US$6.67). The

Brazilian diaspora The Brazilian diaspora is the migration of Brazilian people, Brazilians to other countries, a mostly recent phenomenon that has been driven mainly by economic recession and hyperinflation that afflicted Brazil in the 1980s and early 1990s, and si ...

may only vote for president and vice president. Due to 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.

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 An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political party, political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand ...

(''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). A new law, valid for this election, also allowed parties to 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. Federations may also act as parties to form coalitions. For 2022, the federations formed were

Brazil of Hope The Brazil of Hope Federation () or FE Brasil is an electoral and parliamentary group formed by the Workers' Party (PT), Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) and Green Party (PV) on 18 April 2022 in preparation for the 2022 general election. Histor ...

( PT– PCdoB– PV), Always Forward (

PSDB The Brazilian Social Democracy Party (, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a centre-right political party in Brazil. As the formerly third largest party in the National ...

–

Cidadania Cidadania () is a Brazilian political party. It was originally founded as the Popular Socialist Party (, PPS) by members of the former Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), as a centre-left social democratic and democratic socialist party. Despite ...

), and the

PSOL REDE Federation The PSOL REDE Federation () is an electoral and parliamentary group formed by the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) and Sustainability Network (REDE). Its program and statute were published on 17 May 2022 and registered by the Superior Electoral ...

( PSOL– REDE). For offices to be elected proportionally, each party must nominate candidates of each

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

in a distribution between 30 and 70%. Under rulings by the

and the

, parties must also allocate their funds and broadcast time proportionally to the number of their candidates of each sex and race.

Procedure

Voting in Brazilian elections can only be done in person and only on

election day Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ...

, which is always a Sunday. There is no provision for either

postal voting Postal voting is voting in an election where ballot papers are distributed to electors (and typically returned) by Mail, post, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling place, polling station or electronically via an electronic voti ...

early voting Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled Election Day (politics), election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as v ...

Voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise Suffrage, eligible to Voting, vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted ...

must be done in advance, and each voter can only vote in one designated voting station, either based on the voter's registered

domicile Domicile may refer to: * Home, a place where someone lives * Domicile (astrology), the zodiac sign over which a planet has rulership * Domicile (law), the status or attribution of being a permanent resident in a particular jurisdiction See also * ...

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 Photo identification or photo ID is an identity document that includes a photograph of the holder, usually only their face. The most commonly accepted forms of photo ID are those issued by government authorities, such as driver's licenses, ident ...

at their voting station before proceeding to vote. More than 92,000 voting stations were installed in all

municipalities of Brazil The municipalities of Brazil () are administrative divisions of the states of Brazil, Brazilian states. Brazil currently has 5,571 municipalities, which, given the 2019 population estimate of 210,147,125, makes an average municipality populati ...

, the Federal District, and Fernando de Noronha. Most voting stations are in public schools. In some sparsely populated areas, such as indigenous territories, the installation and use of voting stations requires extensive travel and

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

. Voting stations were also installed in 160 locations in other countries, mostly in Brazilian diplomatic missions, for citizens residing abroad. Voting is done almost entirely on

DRE voting machine A DRE voting machine, or direct-recording electronic voting machine, records votes by means of a ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated by the voter. These are typically buttons or a touchsc ...

s, 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 A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th centur ...

are only used in case a voting machine malfunctions or in locations abroad with fewer than 100 voters. Brazilian_DRE_voting_machine_for_2022_elections

Brazilian_DRE_voting_machine_for_2022_elections

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. 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. At the same time, the system does not create a physical record of individual votes to allow a full

election recount An election recount is a repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place if the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close. Election reco ...

. The partial vote count for an office can only start being published after voting has ended in all locations in Brazil voting for that office, to avoid influencing those still voting. Due to time zones in Brazil, in previous years the vote count for president (the only one that combines votes from more than one state) could only start being published after voting ended in UTC−05:00, two hours after it had ended for the vast majority of the population in UTC−03:00. To avoid this undesirable wait, the Superior Electoral Court ordered for 2022 that voting stations were to 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. Politicians from the state of

Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

(UTC−05:00) filed a legal complaint against this order due to the unreasonably early start of voting preparations in their local time; the complaint was dismissed by the Supreme Federal Court. The unified voting time does not apply to voting stations for citizens abroad, which still operate from 8:00 to 17:00 local time, even though some of them end up to four hours after UTC−03:00. The same is expected to remain for 2026.

Presidential candidates

Declared candidates

Brazil Union

Ronaldo Caiado Ronaldo Ramos Caiado (born 25 September 1949) is a Brazilian politician. An orthopedic physician trained at the School of Medicine and Surgery of Rio de Janeiro, he comes from a family landowners and politicians from Goiás. He is the grandson of ...

, orthopedic physician, former candidate for

President of Brazil The president of Brazil (), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil () or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head of government of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the ...

, former Federal Deputy for

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

(1991–1995, 1999–2015), former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

(2015–2019), and current governor of

(2019–present)

Independent

* Danilo Gentili, comedian, writer, and political commentator

Publicly expressed interest

As of October 2024, the following notable individuals have expressed an interest in running for president within the previous six months.

NOVO

* Romeu Zema, businessman, administrator, and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

since 2019

Republicans

Damares Alves Damares Regina Alves (born 11 September 1964) is a Brazilian lawyer and evangelical pastor. Overview Alves was the Minister of Women, Families, and Human Rights during the Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro from 2019 to 2022. She is the second female ...

, lawyer, evangelical pastor, former legal aide to the Federal Senate, former Minister of Families, Human Rights, and Citizenship (2019–2022),

for the

since 2023 *

Rodrigo Manga Rodrigo Maganhato, better known as Rodrigo Manga, is a Brazilian politician affiliated with the Republicans party. Graduated in marketing from a local college, Faculdade Uirapuru, he was a councillor for two terms in Sorocaba and, after bein ...

tiktoker TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

and mayor of Sorocaba

Workers' Party

, trade unionist, former

metalworker Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals in order to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term, it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on e ...

, and

(2003–2010, 2023–present)

Independent

* Luciano Huck, TV host and presenter

Potential candidates

As of January 2023, there has been speculation about the potential candidacy of the following notable individuals within the previous six months.

Brazilian Democratic Movement

Simone Tebet Simone Nassar Tebet (; born 22 February 1970) is a Brazilian academic, lawyer, and politician who has served as the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management (Brazil), Minister of Planning and Budget since 5 January 2023. She previo ...

, professor, former

for

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul ( ) is one of Federative units of Brazil, Brazil's 27 federal units, located in the southern part of the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region, bordering five Brazilian states: Mato Grosso (to the north), Goiás and ...

(2015–2023), candidate for president in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, and current Minister of Planning *

Helder Barbalho Helder Zahluth Barbalho (born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian administrator, politician, the current governor of the state of Pará, former Chief Minister of National Secretariat of Ports and Minister of Fishing and Aquaculture during the governmen ...

, current

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

, former mayor of Ananindeua, and former Minister of National Integration, of the

Ports Ports collections (or ports trees, or just ports) are the sets of makefiles and Patch (Unix), patches provided by the BSD-based operating systems, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD, as a simple method of installing software or creating binary packages. T ...

and of Fishing and Agriculture.

Democratic Labour Party

Ciro Gomes Ciro Ferreira Gomes (; born 6 November 1957), known mononymously as Ciro, is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and academic. Ciro is currently affiliated with and vice-president of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT). Born in São Paulo but rais ...

, former mayor of

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, candidate for

and

, former federal deputy (2007-2011) and former

Ceará Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...

(1991-1994)

Brazilian Social Democracy Party

* Eduardo Riedel, businessman, former director of the National Confederation of Agricultural Workers, and

(2023–present)

Brazilian Socialist Party

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

, former

(2001–2006, 2011–2018), candidate for President of Brazil in

and

, current Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade and

Vice President of Brazil The vice president of Brazil (), officially the vice president of the Federative Republic of Brazil (''Vice-Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil''), or simply the ''vice president of the republic'' (''Vice-Presidente da República'') i ...

* Márcio França, lawyer, former Federal Deputy for

(2007–2014), former

(2018), and current Minister of Ports and Airports

Liberal Party

Cláudio Castro Cláudio Bomfim de Castro e Silva (born 29 March 1979) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician who has served as governor of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro since 2021. A member of the Social Christian Party (PSC), he was previously the vic ...

, lawyer, former member of the

Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro The Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese colonists. External links Website
Municipal chambers in Brazil Politics o ...

(2017–2019), and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

(2021–present)

Republicans

, former

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

, former

Vice-President of Brazil The vice president of Brazil (), officially the vice president of the Federative Republic of Brazil (''Vice-Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil''), or simply the ''vice president of the republic'' (''Vice-Presidente da República'') i ...

(2019–2022), and

for

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

(2023–present)

Sustainability Network

Marina Silva Maria Osmarina Marina da Silva Vaz de Lima (born Maria Osmarina da Silva; 8 February 1958), known as Marina Silva, is a Brazilian politician and environmentalist, currently serving as Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, a position ...

, environmentalist, former

for

(1995–2003, 2008–2011), candidate for president in

, and

, Federal Deputy for

(2023–present), and

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of a ...

(2003–2008, 2023–present)

Social Democratic Party

Gilberto Kassab Gilberto Kassab (; born 12 August 1960) is a Brazilian politician and former mayor of São Paulo. His term ended in 2012. A civil engineer and economist, one of the most famous Brazilians of Lebanese descent, Kassab took over from José Serra, a ...

, businessman, founder of the PSD, former

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

(2006–2012), former Minister of Cities (2015–2016), former

Minister of Science Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(2016–2018), and current State Secretary of Government of

(2023–present) *

Ratinho Júnior Carlos Roberto Massa Júnior (born 19 April 1981), best known as Ratinho Júnior, is a Brazilian politician and the son of television host and former politician Ratinho. Ratinho Júnior is the current governor of the state of Paraná Paraná, Pa ...

, son of TV presenter Ratinho, businessman, former State and Federal Deputy from

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

, former secretary of state of Paraná (2015–2017) and current

of State of Paraná (2019–present). *

Raquel Lyra Raquel Teixeira Lyra Lucena (born 2 December 1978) is a Brazilian lawyer, politician and the current governor of Pernambuco since 2023. Lyra was mayor of Caruaru from 2017 to 2022. A member of a political family, she previously served as a membe ...

, lawyer, former mayor of

Caruaru Caruaru is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the States of Brazil, state of Pernambuco. The most populous city in the interior of the state, Caruaru is located in the microzone of Agreste and because of its cultural importance ...

(2017–2022), and

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

(2023–present) * Eduardo Leite, former mayor of

Pelotas Pelotas () is a Brazilian city and Municipalities of Brazil, municipality (''município''), the fourth Largest cities in Rio Grande do Sul by population, most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, after Porto Alegre, Caxias do Su ...

, pre-candidate for

, and

(2019–2022, 2023–present)

Socialism and Liberty Party

Guilherme Boulos Guilherme Castro Boulos (; born 19 June 1982) is a Brazilian politician, activist and writer. He is a member of the National Coordination of Homeless Workers' Movement (MTST). Boulos joined the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) in 2018, and w ...

, writer, activist, member of the National Coordination for the Homeless Workers Movement, candidate for

, candidate for

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, and Federal Deputy from

(2023–present)

Workers' Party

* Rosângela Lula da Silva, sociologist,

First Lady of Brazil First Lady of Brazil () is a title given to the hostess of Alvorada Palace. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the current president of Brazil, but may apply to women who are not the president's wives, for instance, when the pr ...

(2023–present) *

Gleisi Hoffmann Gleisi Helena Hoffmann (; born 6 September 1965) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician. She was the Chief of Staff of Brazil from 8 June 2011 to 2 February 2014, during the presidency of Dilma Rousseff. Following her tenure as Chief of Staff, she ...

, lawyer, former senator for

(2014–2019), Federal Deputy for

(2019–present), and National President of the

(2017–present) *

, academic, former

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

(2005–2012), former

(2013–2016), candidate for president in

, and current

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

Wellington Dias Wellington Dias may refer to: * Wellington Dias (politician) * Wellington Dias (footballer) * Wellington Leal Dias Santos, known as Megaton Dias, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner {{hndis, Dias, Wellington ...

, bank clerk, writer, former senator for

Piauí Piauí ( ) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. The state has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.7% of the Brazilian GDP. Piauí has the shortest coastline of any coas ...

(2011–2015), former governor of

(2003–2010, 2015–2022), and current Minister of Social Development (2023–present) *

Camilo Santana Camilo Sobreira de Santana (born 3 June 1968) is a Brazilian agricultural engineer and politician, affiliated to the Workers' Party (PT). He has a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering from the Federal University of Ceará and a maste ...

, agricultural engineer, former governor of

(2015–2022), current

(2023–present) *

Rui Costa Rui Manuel César Costa (; born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors. ...

, former governor of Bahia and current Minister of State Head of the Civilian House of the Presidency

Independent

Flávio Dino Flávio Dino de Castro e Costa (born 30 April 1968) is a Brazilian attorney-at-law, attorney, Supreme Court Justice, politician and professor. A former federal judge, Dino was elected to the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamber of Deputies in 2 ...

, lawyer, former federal judge, former president of

Embratur Embratur, also known as the Brazilian Tourist Board, is a federal, state-owned agency reporting to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism. It was formed in 1966 and works exclusively on the promotion, marketing and supporting to the trading of service ...

(2011–2014), former

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

(2015–2022), former

Minister of Justice and Public Security In Norway, the Minister of Justice and Public Security is the head of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police and a member of Government of Norway. The current minister is Astri Aas-Hanse ...

(2023–2024), and current Justice of the

Declined to be candidates

The following notable individuals have been the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy, but have publicly denied interest in running:

Liberal Party

Michelle Bolsonaro Michelle de Paula Firmo Reinaldo Bolsonaro ( Firmo Reinaldo; born 22 March 1982) is a former First Lady of Brazil from 2019 to 2023, being the third wife of the 38th President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. Early life Born and raised in Ceilândia ...

, former

and wife of

Republicans

* Tarcísio de Freitas, engineer, former Minister of Infrastructure (2019–2022), and

(2023–present)

Independent

Gusttavo Lima Nivaldo Batista Lima (born September 3, 1989), known by his stage name Gusttavo Lima (), is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is known in Brazil for his many hit songs, and gained international prominence through his 2011 s ...

, sertanejo musician. * Felipe Neto, youtuber, businessman, actor, comedian, writer and philanthropist

Ineligible

The following notable individuals have been the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy or have declared their interest, but have been declared ineligible by the Superior Electoral Court.

Liberal Party

, President of Brazil (2019–2023), member of the Chamber of Deputies (1991–2018), councillor of Rio De Janeiro (1989–1991).

Brazilian Labour Renewal Party

Pablo Marçal Pablo Henrique Costa Marçal (; born April 18, 1987) is a Brazilian businessman, politician, and digital influencer. He is best known for selling personal development courses on social media. As a member of the Brazilian Labor Renewal Party, ...

, businessman, politician and digital influencer

Congress

Opinion polls

Notes

References

{{Brazilian elections

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Parliamentary elections in Brazil Presidential elections in Brazil