General elections were held in Brazil on 7 October 2018 to elect the president, National Congress and state governors. As no candidate in the presidential election (and for the gubernatorial election in some states) received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a runoff round was held of those offices on 28 October. On that day, right-wing outsider candidate Jair Bolsonaro defeated leftist Fernando Haddad and was elected President of Brazil.
The election occurred during a tumultuous time in Brazilian politics. Narrowly re-elected in 2014,Brazil keen to open trade talks with UK Financial Times, 22 July 2016 President Dilma Rousseff of the centre-left Workers' Party (PT), which had dominated Brazilian politics since 2002, was impeached in 2016. Replacing her was her Vice President, Michel Temer of the centre-right Brazilian Democratic Movement Party. Temer, whose age of 75 at inauguration made him the oldest to ever take office, broke sharply with his predecessor's policies and amended the constitution to freeze public spending. He was extraordinarily unpopular, reaching an approval rating of 7% versus 76% in favor of his resignation. Despite mass demonstrations against his governance, including a 2017 general strike and a 2018 truck drivers' strike, Temer refused to step down and served the duration of his term in office. Due to being convicted of breaking campaign finance laws, Temer was ineligible to run in 2018.
The candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro, a controversial federal deputy from Rio de Janeiro known for his far-right politics and defense of the former Brazilian military dictatorship, overshadowed other conservative candidates. Noted for his vehement opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, Bolsonaro joined the small Social Liberal Party (PSL) to mount his bid for the presidency, shifting the party's ideology in favor of social conservatism and nationalism. Bolsonaro benefited from opposition to the former PT government and ran in favor of expanding gun ownership in response to high crime, legalizing the death penalty, and the privatization of state-owned companies. For the position of Vice President, Bolsonaro chose Hamilton Mourão, a conservative retired general in the Brazilian Army. During the campaign, Bolsonaro was the subject of widespread protests for his homophobic, racist, and misogynistic beliefs. Former Governor of São Paulo Geraldo Alckmin, who ran as a member of the previously dominant centre-right Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), received the worst result for a presidential nominee of his party in Brazilian history.
Former president Lula da Silva, who left office in 2011 with high approval ratings, intended to run for president as the candidate of the PT with former mayor of São Paulo Fernando Haddad as his running-mate. Polling taken during the campaign found Lula as the favorite in both the first and second rounds of the election. However, Lula's 2017 conviction on corruption charges barred him from running. Haddad, who was largely unknown to Brazilian voters at the time, was chosen to run in his place, with Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) deputy Manuela d'Avila of Rio Grande do Sul serving as his running mate. His major opponent on the left was Ciro Gomes, a mainstay of Brazilian politics who ran a centre-left campaign as a member of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT). Following Haddad's advancement to the second round, Ciro did not endorse his campaign, though he did signal opposition to Bolsonaro.
The campaign was marked by political violence, with Bolsonaro being a victim of a stabbing attack at a campaign rally in Minas Gerais and supporters of both Haddad and Bolsonaro falling victim to politically-motivated attacks. Fake news spread on popular messaging app WhatsApp was a focal point of election coverage, with disinformation spread on the app being blamed for influencing voting intentions. In the first round of the election, Bolsonaro received approximately 46% of the vote to Haddad's 29%, with Ciro coming in third place with over 12% of the vote. In the second round, Bolsonaro defeated Haddad by approximately ten percentage points, with the deputy receiving over 55% of the vote to less than 45% for Haddad. Bolsonaro took office on 1 January 2019 as President of Brazil.
Background The 2014 elections saw Workers' Party candidate Dilma Rousseff reelected as President in the second round with 51.6% of the vote, defeating Aécio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party who received 48.4% of the vote. Rousseff had first been elected in the 2010 elections, succeeding her political mentor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was in office from 2003 until 2011.
However, on 3 December 2015, impeachment proceedings against Rousseff were officially accepted by the Chamber of Deputies. On 12 May 2016, the Federal Senate temporarily suspended Rousseff's powers and duties for up to six months or until the Senate reached a verdict: to remove her from office if found guilty or to acquit her from the crimes charged. Vice President Michel Temer, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, assumed her powers and duties as Acting President of Brazil during the suspension. On 31 August 2016, the Senate voted 61–20 in favor of impeachment, finding Rousseff guilty of breaking budgetary laws and removing her from office. Critics of the impeachment saw it as a legislative coup d'état. Vice President Temer succeeded Rousseff as the 37th President of Brazil. His government implemented policies that contradicted the platform on which Rousseff's Workers Party had been elected, in one of the most controversial and heated political periods of modern Brazilian history.
Temer was barred from running for a full term in 2018. He had been convicted of campaign law violations in 2016, and was banned from holding any political office for eight years. He was likely ineligible for a full term in any case due to the manner in which constitutional provisions on term limits are worded. The constitution stipulates that if the Vice President becomes Acting President for any reason, it counts toward the limit of two consecutive terms. This applies even when the Vice President becomes Acting President whenever the President is abroad.
Electoral system
Voting in Brazil is allowed for citizens over 16 years of age and mandatory for those between 18 and 70 years of age.Constitution of Brazil , art. 14. Those who do not vote in an election and do not later present an acceptable justification (such as being away from their voting location at the time) must pay a fine of 3.51 BRL (equivalent to 0.90 USD in October 2018).Voting justification , Superior Electoral Court. Answers to doubts from voters , Regional Electoral Court of São Paulo. Brazilian citizens residing abroad only vote for president.
Presidential elections The president and the vice president of Brazil are elected using the two-round system. Citizens may field their candidacies for the presidency, and participate in the general elections, which are held on the first Sunday in October (in this instance, 7 October 2018). Candidates receiving more than 50% of the overall vote are declared elected. If the 50% threshold is not met by any candidate, a second round of voting is held on the last Sunday in October (in this instance, 28 October 2018). In the second round, only the two most-voted candidates from the first round may participate. The winner of the second round is elected President of Brazil. Candidates for president run for office jointly with a candidate for vice-president, and the vice-president is elected as a consequence of the election of the president.
Gubernatorial elections
The governors and vice governors of all states and of the Federal District are elected in the same way as the president, using two rounds of voting if necessary.
Congressional elections Federal Senate elections In 2018, two-thirds of the 81 members of the Federal Senate were elected for a term of 8 years in office, the other third having been elected in 2014. Two candidates are elected from each of the states and Federal District using majority block voting, with voters able to cast two votes each.Federal Senate electoral system , Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Chamber of Deputies elections All 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies (federal deputies) are elected, with candidates elected from 27 multi-member constituencies corresponding to the states and Federal District, varying in size from eight to 70 seats. The Chamber elections are held using open list proportional representation, with seats allocated using the simple quotient.Chamber of Deputies electoral system , Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Legislative Assemblies elections All members of the State Legislative Assemblies (state deputies) and of the Federal District Legislative Chamber (district deputies), varying in size from 24 to 94 seats, will be elected. These elections are also held using open list proportional representation, with seats allocated using the simple quotient.
Presidential candidates Candidates in runoff Party Presidential candidate Vice presidential candidate Coalition Workers' Party(PT13) Fernando Haddad (campaign)Mayor of São Paulo (2013–2017)Minister of Education (2005–2012) Manuela d'Ávila (PCdoB)State Deputy of Rio Grande do Sul (2015–2019)Federal Deputy for Rio Grande do Sul (2007–2015) The People Happy Again: Workers' Party Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) Republican Party of the Social Order (PROS) Social Liberal Party(PSL17) Jair Bolsonaro (campaign)Federal Deputy for Rio de Janeiro (1991–2019) Hamilton Mourão (PRTB) Brazil Above Everything, God Above Everyone: Social Liberal Party (PSL) Brazilian Labour Renewal Party (PRTB)
Candidates failing to make runoff Party Presidential candidate Vice presidential candidate Coalition Democratic Labour Party(PDT12) Ciro Gomes (campaign)Federal Deputy for Ceará (2007–2011)Minister of National Integration (2003–2006)Governor of Ceará (1991–1994) Kátia AbreuMinister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (2015–2016)Senator for Tocantins (2007–2023) Sovereign Brazil: Democratic Labour Party (PDT) Avante Brazilian Democratic Movement(MDB15) Henrique MeirellesMinister of Finance (2016–2018)President of the Central Bank (2003–2011) Germano RigottoGovernor of Rio Grande do Sul (2003–2007) This is the Solution: Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) Humanist Party of Solidarity (PHS) United Socialist Workers' Party(PSTU16) Vera Lúcia Salgado Hertz Dias Sustainability Network(REDE18) Marina SilvaMinister of Environment (2003–2008)Senator for Acre (1995–2011) Eduardo Jorge (PV)Federal Deputy for São Paulo (1986–2003) United to Transform Brazil: Sustainability Network (REDE) Green Party (PV) Podemos(PODE19) Alvaro DiasSenator for Paraná (1999–2023) Paulo Rabello de Castro (PSC)Chair of the Brazilian Development Bank (2017–2018) Real Change: Podemos (PODE) Social Christian Party (PSC) Christian Labour Party (PTC) Progressive Republican Party (PRP) Christian Democracy(DC27) José Maria EymaelFederal Deputy for São Paulo (1986–1995) Hélvio Costa New Party(NOVO30) João Amoêdo (campaign) Christian Lohbauer Brazilian Social Democracy Party(PSDB45) Geraldo Alckmin (campaign)Governor of São Paulo (2003–2006; 2011–2018) Ana Amélia Lemos (PP)Senator for Rio Grande do Sul (2011–2019) To Unite Brazil: Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) Progressistas (PP) Democrats (DEM) Party of the Republic (PR) Brazilian Republican Party (PRB) Solidariedade Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) Social Democratic Party (PSD) Popular Socialist Party (PPS) Socialism and Liberty Party(PSOL50) Guilherme Boulos (campaign) Sônia Guajajara Let's Go Without Fear of Changing Brazil: Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) Patriota(Patriota51) Cabo DacioloFederal Deputy for Rio de Janeiro (2015–2019) Suelene Balduino Free Fatherland Party(PPL54) João Goulart Filho (campaign) Léo Alves