Lula Authorizes Armed Forces To Assist 2026 Elections

Overview

• The decree (nº 13.073), published July 21, 2026 in the Diário Oficial da União, entered into force immediately and authorizes the Armed Forces to assist the electoral process.
• The text was signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and ministers José Múcio and Marcos Antonio Amaro dos Santos and cites the Electoral Code and Lei Complementar nº 97/1999 as legal bases.
• Specific localities, the size of deployments and the timing will be set only after formal requisitions from the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, which controls when and where troops will be used.
• Officials say the forces may be used to secure voting, support apuração (vote tabulation) and deliver logistical aid in hard-to-reach or strategic locations during the October 4 first round and the October 25 runoff if needed.
• The move follows past practice in Brazil of using military support for election logistics and security, and it could speed transport and protection of materials in remote areas while raising public scrutiny of when and how deployments are ordered.