Carter Center Commends Brazil for Successful General Election

Election Expert Mission Will Return for the Oct. 25 Presidential Runoff

ATLANTA (Oct. 6, 2026) — The Carter Center’s election expert mission commends the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for the successful administration of the general elections held on Oct. 4. 

Participation of registered voters was 79.8% in the first-round election.  Over 125 million Brazilians voted in over 499,000 polling stations on election day.

“The Carter Center, along with national and independent international observers, commends Brazilian election officials for a well-organized and transparent general election. We were pleased to see all political parties accept the results, and we will now turn our attention to the Oct. 25 runoff,” said Jennie Lincoln, the Carter Center’s senior advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean and mission director.

The Carter Center is an invited and independent observer, and its final findings will be publicly released once the electoral process has been concluded. Earlier this year, The Carter Center received an invitation from the TSE to send an election mission for the general elections. The four-person expert mission from Germany, Portugal, and the United States, plus staff from The Carter Center, is focusing on the legal framework governing the elections, the use of voting technology, and voter education.  

The Carter Center team visited polling centers in the Federal District of Brasília on election day. Due to its focus on specific topics, the mission will not assess the conduct of voting or make a comprehensive assessment of the election process as a whole.

Initial observations include: 

• The digital electoral environment was shaped by TSE regulations, as well as with formal agreements with the major technological platforms around the use of artificial intelligence, disinformation about the elections, and violence against women.
• Brazil’s continued investment in its voting technology system has resulted in a robust and inclusive voting experience, with results announced within hours on election night. 
• The TSE’s public communication encouraged voters to vote and provided extensive voter information on how to participate through both traditional and social media.  

Political parties are now preparing for runoff elections for president and several governors on Oct. 25.  The Carter Center will continue its assessment work between the elections and will be present again for the second round. After the conclusion of the electoral process, The Center will offer its analysis and recommendations in a final report.

The Carter Center conducts its work in accordance with Brazilian law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers, adopted at the United Nations in 2005.

Since 1989, The Carter Center has conducted 128 full and limited election observation missions in 40 countries and three Native American nations. In addition, 20 expert missions have been conducted in 17 countries, including the 2022 presidential election in Brazil.

###

Contact: In Atlanta, media@cartercenter.org