Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro barred from voting in 2026 elections

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been barred from voting in the upcoming October 2026 elections. While the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) previously declared him ineligible to run for office in 2023, his current loss of voting rights is a separate consequence of a final criminal conviction by the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The STF sentenced Bolsonaro to over 27 years in prison for his involvement in a coup attempt, and the suspension of his political rights was ordered on November 25, 2025.

The upcoming election is viewed by analysts as a significant struggle for influence over the Supreme Federal Court. The contest between supporters of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Bolsonaro family could determine the composition of the court, as the next president will have the power to appoint several new justices to fill upcoming vacancies through 2029. The political landscape is characterized by a deep divide between the judicial philosophies represented by ministers such as Alexandre de Moraes and André Mendonça.