Aécio Neves Will Not Run in 2026

Overview

• Aécio Neves announced he will not seek any elective office in the 2026 elections, making the decision public on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 after 40 years of continuous public mandates.
• He said he will remain active in public life and devote himself to leading his party to build a political project defined as liberal on the economy, socially inclusive, fiscally responsible, and pragmatic in foreign policy.
• Neves has kept the PSDB presidency and framed the move as a strategic shift toward strengthening a ‘democratic centre’ that rejects the Lula–Bolsonaro binary.
• His withdrawal removes a leading name from polling for one of Minas Gerais’s two Senate seats and is expected to boost the campaigns of rivals such as Marília Campos, Carlos Viana, Marcelo Aro and Domingos Sávio.
• Neves’s record includes six terms as federal deputy, two terms as Minas Gerais governor, service as senator and a past presidency of the Chamber of Deputies, and his continued party role could shape candidate selection and strategy ahead of the vote.