October 2026 – Week 1
This weeks live-blog
This week’s live-blog is dedicated to Brazil’s 2026 election, tracking the presidential race, voting, results, key political developments and what the outcome could mean for Brazil’s climate, energy and sustainability policies.
Last week’s live blog can be found here.
Brazil goes to the polls on Sunday for the first round of its 2026 general election, with voters choosing the president, governors, senators and members of the federal and state or district legislatures.
Go straight to the live updates
Key election details
- Election day: Sunday, 4 October 2026
- Potential second round: Sunday, 25 October 2026
- Around 158.7 million Brazilians are registered to vote
- Votes to be cast for the next presidential election, governors, senators and members of the federal and state or district legislatures
What to watch in Brazil’s election
The presidential election
The presidential contest is the central focus of the election, but Brazil’s electoral system involves voting for several levels of government and legislature at the same time.
Our live coverage will track:
- developments involving the presidential candidates
- polling and campaign developments
- voting and turnout information
- official results as they are released
- the possibility of a second round
- developments involving Congress and state governments
- major policy announcements and reactions
Essential election data
From our data hub we are bringing you the very latest data from the election.
Go straight to the live updates
Presidential candidates
Brazil 2026 presidential dataset
Stance on issues:
| Candidate | Party | Climate science | Climate / environment | Energy policy | Stance on fossil fuels | Forests / biodiversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva | PT | Accepts | Major policy area; 2030 deforestation target; adaptation and emissions reduction. | Renewables, electrification and transition policies. | Supports continued oil and gas production alongside transition to clean energy sources. | Strong emphasis on Amazon and ending deforestation |
| Flávio Bolsonaro | PL | Does not accept / disputes human causation | Environmental enforcement; illegal deforestation target for 2029 | Clean energy framed as competitive advantage | Supports continued production | Zero illegal deforestation by 2029; Amazon sovereignty/enforcement |
| Ronaldo Caiado | PSD | No clear documented position yet | Sustainable development, adaptation, carbon markets, conservation | Renewables + gas + nuclear + biofuels + oil | Oil described as a “pillar” of the energy mix | Biomes, restoration, conservation and environmental enforcement |
| Romeu Zema | NOVO | No clear documented position yet | Environmental policy and conservation included | Dedicated energy/mining section | Needs further extraction | Dedicated environment section |
| Renan Santos | Missão | No clear documented position yet | Environmental issues largely integrated into economic/infrastructure proposals | Clean energy as industrial advantage | Needs further extraction | Satellite monitoring and environmental licensing |
| Augusto Cury | Avante | No clear documented position yet | Sustainability appears in programme | Very strong renewable-energy proposal | Needs further extraction | Needs further extraction |
| Hertz Dias | PSTU | No clear documented position yet | Strong environmental/agroecological agenda | Public/state-controlled energy | Opposes new Margem Equatorial oil exploration | Indigenous/quilombola protection and restoration |
| Edmilson Costa | PCB | No clear documented position yet | Strong climate/environmental programme | Reduce fossil-fuel generation; public energy system | Reduce fossil-fuel generation | Expanded protected areas, forest restoration |
| Rui Costa Pimenta | PCO | Not yet assessed | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction |
| Samara Martins | UP | Not yet assessed | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction |
| Clariana Barão | DC | No clear documented position | No substantive climate/environmental policy identified in initial review | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction |
| Leonardo Avalanche | PRTB | Not yet assessed | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction |
| Wilson Grassi | Democrata | Not yet assessed | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction | Needs extraction |
The dataset includes the candidate’s political party, documented position, supporting evidence and source for each relevant issue.
Where a candidate’s position cannot be established from reliable evidence, this is recorded as no clear documented position rather than inferred from the absence of a statement.
Explore the full dataset here.
Data will be updated as new official and other documented information becomes available.
Go straight to the live updates
Brazil’s climate, energy and biodiversity agenda
Brazil’s election has implications beyond domestic politics. The country is one of the world’s largest economies and energy producers, while also playing an important role in global climate diplomacy and the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
The election comes at a significant point for Brazil’s energy system, with the country continuing to expand renewable electricity while remaining an important producer and consumer of oil and other fossil fuels.
Key facts about Brazil
- Regarded as one of the world’s largest democracies
- Brazil contains around 60% of the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest tropical rainforest
- While, the Amazon rainforest, is still being deforested, the rate is rapidly coming down – declining by around 30% between 2023 and 2024
- The Petrobras oil spill in Guanabara Bay in 2000, released 1.3 million liters of oil, destroying marine life and mangroves and harming local fishermen, and is one of the largest oil spills in the Brazil’s history
More Brazilian biodiversity, climate and energy facts can be found in this article.
What the result could mean for Brazil’s climate and energy transition
The election will determine the political direction of Brazil over the next four years, including the government’s approach to energy, climate policy, the Amazon and Brazil’s international climate commitments.
The implications will depend not only on the presidential result but also on the composition of Congress and the governments of Brazil’s states.
We will analyse the emerging policy direction using our Brazil election, energy and climate datasets rather than treating the presidential result in isolation.
What happens if no candidate reaches the threshold?
If no presidential candidate receives more than half of the valid votes in the first round, Brazil will hold a second-round presidential election on 25 October. The TSE’s official electoral calendar confirms the date.
Live updates
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