Brazilian Expatriates Cast Votes in Over 130 Countries in 2026 Presidential Election
Nearly one million Brazilians voted abroad in the 2026 presidential election, with Lula winning a majority of countries and Bolsonaro leading in several key nations, amidst notable challenges and geopolitical discussions.
- • Nearly one million Brazilians voted in 134 countries for the 2026 presidential election.
- • Lula won in 13 countries including New Zealand, Australia, and China; Bolsonaro won in 8 countries including Japan and Thailand.
- • Voting difficulties and documentation confusion caused delays in Japan, especially affecting elderly voters.
- • Brazilian voters in China overwhelmingly supported Lula, with political discussions emphasizing the election's impact on bilateral relations and geopolitical strategies.
Key details
As Brazilian citizens abroad voted in the 2026 presidential election, nearly one million were registered across 134 countries, using 1,407 electronic ballot boxes in 1,361 polling stations.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) secured victories in 13 countries including New Zealand, Australia, and China, while Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) won in 8 countries such as Japan and Thailand. Notably, Lula received 70.48% of votes in New Zealand, the first country to complete voting, and led with 93.09% in Palestine and 53.98% in Australia. Bolsonaro, meanwhile, dominated in Japan with 67.1% and Israel with 74.4%.
In Portugal, 134,797 Brazilians were eligible to vote, with long queues reported amid the turnout. Voting in Portugal started early at 8 a.m. local time with 78,833 voters registered in Lisbon alone.
Challenges were reported in Japan, where confusion over required documentation caused delays, impacting especially elderly voters.
The Brazilian community in China overwhelmingly supported Lula, who won all continental Chinese voting sections with 52.2% in Guangdong, 63.7% in Shanghai, and 77.6% in Beijing. Bolsonaro took 43.0% of votes in Hong Kong. Discussions among Brazilians in China emphasized how the election could impact bilateral relations, with concerns that a Bolsonaro win might strain ties due to US interference pressures. Lula’s victory was seen as reversing leftist losses from previous years, and future Brazil-China ties were viewed as tied to broader developmental projects, especially with expected visits like that of Xi Jinping in 2024.
Overall, the overseas vote demonstrated diverse regional political preferences and highlighted logistical challenges as well as the geopolitical stakes of the Brazilian diaspora’s participation.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
