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Brazil kicks off campaigns for general elections in October

The campaign for Brazil’s 2026 general elections officially began this Sunday (Aug. 16). Candidates may participate in motorcades, marches, and leafleting from 8 am to 10 pm. Online advertising and paid advertisements in print media are also permitted. These activities are permitted through October 3, one day before the first round of voting. Rallies are authorized from 8 am to midnight, through October 1. Notícias relacionadas:Alckmin to run as Lula’s running mate again in upcoming elections.Electoral Court approves restrictions on AI use in 2026 elections.Electoral Court: Vote counting is transparent, auditable, secure.Rallies must maintain a minimum distance of 200 meters from the headquarters of the executive and legislative branches, as well as from courthouses, military barracks, hospitals, schools, and churches. Free campaign advertising on radio and television will be permitted from August 28 through October 1. Voting The first round of the election will take place on October 4 to elect federal, state, and district representatives, governors, senators, and the president. The second round is scheduled for October 25 and may be held for the offices of governor and president. Voters will return to the polls if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the valid votes – excluding blank and spoiled ballots – in the first round. Thirteen candidates are running for president – including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party (PT), who is seeking reelection, Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL), and Ronaldo Caiado of Social Democratic Party (PSD). Rallies President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva officially kicked off his bid for a fourth term at a rally in São Bernardo do Campo, in the São Paulo metropolitan area. The location was chosen because of its connection to his political history. As the site of workers’ assemblies for the metalworking industry in São Paulo’s ABC region, it was the scene of major strikes in 1979 aimed at putting pressure on a military dictatorship that already showed signs of weakness. Flávio Bolsonaro kicked off his campaign at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The location has hosted a series of pro-Bolsonaro rallies in recent years, including those protesting the arrest of Flávio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, for attempting a coup d’état. Candidate Ronaldo Caiado chose to kick off his campaign in Goiás, the state he governed from 2019 through March of this year and where, according to polls, he ranks first in voter preference. The need to combat organized crime and improve public safety was a common theme in the speeches of several candidates.