Brazil First Round Sees Highest Abstention Since 1998

Overview

• The near-final tally from the Superior Electoral Court showed that 21.08% of eligible voters did not vote in the first round, a level not seen since 1998.
• When abstentions are combined with blank and null ballots the total reached about 39.1 million people, equal to 24.63% of the 158.7 million electorate in the partial count.
• Flávio Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva qualified for the second round with 55,825,882 votes (47.18% of valid votes) and 53,223,914 votes (44.98% of valid votes) respectively in the reported tally.
• Turnout varied sharply by state, with Mato Grosso do Sul recording the highest abstention at 23.85% and Ceará the lowest at 15.33%, and the slightly higher national abstention matched pre-vote polls that flagged voter uncertainty.
• Because Brazil counts only valid ballots to calculate winning majorities, the surge in non-participation could change campaign strategies and public debate about the runoff's political legitimacy and voter engagement.