Brazil: Afro-Brazilian religious voters report political invisibility

Followers of Afro-Brazilian religions report feeling invisible and unrepresented in the lead-up to the 2026 political campaigns. According to IBGE census data, the number of Brazilians practicing Afro-based faiths tripled between 2010 and 2022, reaching approximately 1.8 million people. Despite this growth, specialists and religious leaders note that these groups are often sidelined in political discourse compared to Christian voters.

Experts attribute this lack of representation to religious intolerance and historical marginalization. While Afro-Brazilian practitioners constitute a smaller portion of the population than the approximately 80% of Brazilians who identify as Catholic or Evangelical, leaders emphasize that their political organization and interests remain neglected by major campaigns.

In a separate trend regarding religious influence in politics, a survey by Instituto Valentes Intel indicates that 52.5% of Evangelicals in Brazil reject the use of religious services for political purposes. While many Evangelicals identify with right-wing ideologies, a majority expressed opposition to pastors using the pulpit for partisan or electoral discussions.