Brazilian general election, 2018

Brazilian general election, 2018
Election name	Brazilian general election, 2018
Country	Brazil
Type	presidential parliamentary
Previous election	Brazilian general election, 2014
Previous year	2014
Next election	Brazilian general election, 2022
Next year	2022
Election date	7 October and 28 October 2018
Registered	147,306,000
Turnout	79.55%

Brazilian general election, 2018

The 2018 Brazilian general election elected the President of Brazil, members of the National Congress of Brazil, state governors of the federative units, and members of state legislatures. The contest featured a large field including former members of the Chamber of Deputies, former governors, and political outsiders, producing a runoff won by a former congressman and military captain allied with conservative parties. The election occurred amid economic malaise, public security crises, and corruption investigations targeting figures from the Workers' Party, the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, and other major parties.

Background

The 2018 contest followed the 2016 impeachment of Dilma Rousseff and the presidency of Michel Temer, events linked to the judicial investigations led by the Federal Police of Brazil and the Operation Car Wash task force headed by prosecutors from the Federal Public Ministry (Brazil). The political environment was shaped by the conviction and imprisonment of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva under judge Sérgio Moro in the Operation Car Wash prosecutions, a decision contested in appeals before the Supreme Federal Court and litigated by lawyers from the Brazilian Bar Association. Public protests involving groups supporting Movimento Brasil Livre and opposing Workers' Party influence intersected with debates about public security in cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and with economic policy discussions involving the Ministry of Finance (Brazil) and international creditors.

Electoral system

The presidential election used a two-round system specified in the Constitution of Brazil: if no candidate obtained an absolute majority in the first round, a runoff was held between the top two vote-getters. Members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate were elected under proportional representation and plurality rules respectively, with senatorial elections in three-seat cycles defined by the Electoral Code (Brazil). The Superior Electoral Court administered voter registration, campaign finance rules, and ballot procedures, including rules on electronic voting machines manufactured by national contractors and overseen by technical teams from the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral.

Candidates and parties

The presidential field included former president Fernando Haddad nominated by the Workers' Party as a replacement for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after Lula's ineligibility, former federal deputy Jair Bolsonaro endorsed by the Social Liberal Party (Brazil), centrist candidates from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party such as Geraldo Alckmin, and figures from the Democrats, the Progressistas, and the Brazilian Democratic Movement including former ministers and governors like Ciro Gomes of the Democratic Labour Party and Marina Silva of the Sustainability Network (Brazil). The congressional slates featured incumbents from the Progressive Party (Brazil), newcomers from regional parties, and coalitions between the Social Christian Party (Brazil) and conservative alliances allied with evangelical caucuses such as the Bancada Evangélica in responses to social policy debates.

Campaign

Campaign rhetoric centered on public security policies advocated by Jair Bolsonaro, anti-corruption narratives referencing Sérgio Moro and the Operation Car Wash investigations, and economic proposals inspired by former ministers from the Ministry of Economy (Brazil) and central bank discussions involving the Central Bank of Brazil. Media coverage involved national networks including Rede Globo and RecordTV, online platforms used by allies of candidates such as social media pages aligned with the Movimento Brasil Livre and the Centro Dom Bosco think tanks, and controversies over fake news investigated by the Superior Electoral Court (Brazil). Debates before the Superior Electoral Court and televised forums featured figures from the Chamber of Deputies and governors from Minas Gerais and Bahia, with campaign finance scrutiny applied to party coalitions and advertising contracts managed under regulations by the Electoral Justice system.

Opinion polling

Opinion polls by institutes such as Datafolha, Ibope, and the Institute of Public Opinion tracked changing support for candidates including Jair Bolsonaro, Fernando Haddad, Ciro Gomes, Geraldo Alckmin, and Marina Silva. Polls reflected volatility after events such as the arrest of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, legal rulings from the Supreme Federal Court (Brazil), and campaign incidents involving candidates in cities like Fortaleza and Brasília. Forecasting models by academics at the University of São Paulo and the Getulio Vargas Foundation attempted to incorporate turnout patterns, partisan realignment, and regional differences across the North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Central-West.

Results

In the first round, no candidate achieved an absolute majority, with leading vote shares for Jair Bolsonaro and Fernando Haddad advancing to the runoff. The second round on 28 October resulted in victory for Jair Bolsonaro over Fernando Haddad, with margins confirmed by the Superior Electoral Court (Brazil). Concurrent legislative elections reshaped the composition of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate, increasing representation for parties allied with the new president and altering committee leaderships in the National Congress of Brazil.

Aftermath and government formation

Following the inauguration, the president nominated ministers including former military officers and economists associated with the Ministry of Economy (Brazil) and appointed judges and officials interacting with the Federal Police of Brazil and the Supreme Federal Court (Brazil). Legislative alliances formed with parties such as the Social Liberal Party (Brazil), the Progressistas, and the Brazilian Labour Renewal Party to pass agenda items including pension reform proposed by the Ministry of Economy (Brazil). Judicial reviews and international reactions involved the Organization of American States and foreign ministries of countries including the United States and Argentina, while civil society groups such as Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra and unions engaged in protests and negotiations in state capitals like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Category:Elections in Brazil Category:2018 elections