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Brazil’s 2026 Race Opens With Lula Running Again as Right Scrambles

A proposed judiciary ethics code adds an institutional flashpoint to an unsettled field.

Overview

  • Lula confirms a re-election bid for his seventh presidential campaign, with state-level alliances seen as a priority for early 2026.
  • Flávio Bolsonaro posts an early start on the right, benefiting from the Bolsonaro name but facing questions about durability and past controversies.
  • Political interlocutors continue to float São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas as a potential substitute if Flávio loses traction, a move that would require him to leave office by April.
  • Real-economy indicators have improved, yet concerns over fiscal rules and the timing of interest-rate cuts remain a vulnerability for the government.
  • STF president Edson Fachin proposes a judiciary-wide code of ethics that includes the Supreme Court, a move likely to face resistance within the courts.