Brazil municipal councilors shape candidate slates for 2026 elections

In Mato Grosso, municipal councilors are emerging as decisive actors in the formation of candidate slates for the 2026 state and federal elections. After the 2024 municipal elections, hundreds of councilors were re‑elected, giving them leverage over local community leaders, unions and religious groups. State deputies, federal legislators and party leaders are intensifying outreach to councilors, seeking their backing to secure votes in interior municipalities and to assemble competitive proportional lists.

Separately, a primary school in Porto Alegre conducted a simulated election with 234 third‑grade students to teach citizenship ahead of the national vote in October 2026. The exercise involved candidate presentations, ballot casting in cardboard urns and a follow‑up role for elected student representatives, aiming to instill values of responsibility, dialogue and collective participation.