General Information
At Stake in this Election:
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54 seats in the Brazilian Federal Senate.
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Elections for the Brazilian Presidency and Chamber of Deputies are occurring concurrently.
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Chief of State: President Luiz Inácio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2023)
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Head of Government: President Luiz Inácio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2023)
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Assembly: bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional) with an 81-seat Federal Senate (Senado Federal) and a 513-seat Chamber of Deputies (Câmara dos Deputados)
Electoral System:
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The President is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two consecutive terms at a time.
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The 81 Members of the Federal Senate are directly elected to serve 8-year terms, with three Senators representing each of Brazil’s 27 federal units (26 states and 1 federal district). Elections are staggered, with one-third or two-thirds of seats being elected on an alternating basis every four years. In years where one-third of the seats are up for election, voters cast one vote and the candidate who receives a plurality in their state is elected. In years where two-thirds of seats are up for election, voters can cast two votes, though not for the same person.
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The 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected to a four-year term. They are elected by proportional representation. The number of deputies elected is proportional to the size of the population of the respective state (or Federal District), with the least-populated states electing eight deputies, and the highest population state electing seventy deputies.
In the last election, the Liberal Party won 8 seats; the Brazil Union won 5 seats, the Workers’ Party won 4 seats, and the Progressives won 3 seats. The Social Democratic Party and Republicans won 2 seats each. Finally, the Brazilian Democratic Movement, Brazilian Socialist Party and Social Christian Party won 1 seat each. Voter turnout was 79%.
Brazil amended Law No. 4,737, of July 15, 1965 (Electoral Code), and Law No. 9,504, of September 30, 1997 (Electoral Law) in advance of the elections. In practical terms, the amendments clarified that parties may form coalitions to compete in majoritarian, but not in proportional representation races; updated criteria for allocation of seats under the proportional system; set rules for debates for parties and candidates taking part in proportional representation races.
Information for Voters:
O seu guia das Eleições / Your Election Guide (in Portuguese)
Key Deadlines:
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Candidate filing deadline: August 15, 2026
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Voter registration deadline: May 6, 2026
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Liberal Party (PL)
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Seats won in the last election: 8 seats out of 27
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Brazil Union / União Brasil (União)
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Seats won in the last election: 5 seats out of 27
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Workers Party (PT)
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Seats won in the last election: 4 seats out of 27
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Progressive Party / Partido Progressista (PP)
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Seats won in the last election: 3 seats out of 27
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Social Democratic Party (PSD)
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Seats won in the last election: 2 seats out of 27
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Republicans / Republicans
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Seats won in the last election: 2 seats out of 27
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Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB)
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Seats won in the last election: 1 seat out of 27
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Brazilian Democratic Movement
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Seats won in the last election: 1 seat out of 27
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The now dissolved Social Christian Party also obtained 1 seat This list includes all parties that secured seats in the last Federal Senate election in 2022. More information on candidate applications, approvals, and party affiliations is available from the TSE.
Country Context:
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Population: 212,812,405 (2025 est.)
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Registered Voters: 158,745,463 (2026)
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V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: 0.78 (2026)
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V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Democracy (2026)
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Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.786, High, Rank 84 (2023)
Gender Data:
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Female Population: 108,154,997 (2025 est.)
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CEDAW Status: Signed March 31, 1981, Ratified February 1, 1984
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Gender Quota: For Chamber of Deputies elections, District and State Senates, and Municipal Councils, each party or coalition must reserve at least 30% of candidacies, and not more than 70% of candidacies for each gender. See Article 10, Paragraph 3 on the ‘Registration of Candidates.’
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Female Candidates in this election: Yes
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Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 14 out of 81 (17%) in the Federal Senate and 90 out of 513 (18%) in the Chamber of Deputies
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Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 21.6, Low (2023)
Disability Data:
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CRPD Status: Signed March 30, 2007, Ratified August 1, 2008
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Projected population with a disability: 34,049,985 (2025 est.)
IFES Resources:
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Election Snapshot / FAQs (if available)
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ElectionJudgments: Yes, 6 judgments