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2h ago

Brazil First-Round Abstention Hits 21.08%, Highest Since 1998

The large share of abstentions, blank and null votes has reduced the pool of valid presidential ballots and led the electoral court to promise steps to increase turnout before the Oct. 25 runoff.

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Cabina de votação em seção eleitoral instalada em escola. A abstenção cresceu a cada eleição presidencial entre 2006 e 2022.
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Overview

  • First-round returns on Oct. 4 showed a 21.08% abstention rate, equal to about 33,174,473 people, and a combined total of roughly 39.1 million non-valid presidential votes (24.63%) when blank and null ballots are included.
  • The count, with nearly all sections reported, confirmed Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will face each other in the Oct. 25 second round, with Bolsonaro holding 47.18% and Lula 44.98% of the valid vote in the reported totals.
  • Abstention varied across states, with Mato Grosso do Sul recording the highest rate at about 23.85% and Ceará the lowest at about 15.33%, reflecting geographic, logistical and socioeconomic differences in turnout.
  • Tribunal Superior Eleitoral president Kassio Nunes Marques called the level of absence concerning and said the court will intensify measures such as transport and mobility programs to try to lower abstention before the runoff.
  • Analysts note the 2026 result continues a steady rise in first-round absence since the 2000s and could shape the runoff by reducing votes among groups that tend to skip voting, while simultaneous gubernatorial runoffs in several states may either draw voters back or leave overall turnout low.