Record number of indigenous candidates in the 2026 Brazilian elections

The 2026 Brazilian elections saw a record number of indigenous candidates, rising to 191, 125% more than the 85 in 2014, the first year in which the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) began publishing data relating to the color and race of candidates. The data emerges from a survey by the Indigenous Campaign, an initiative of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), based on the TSE registers updated as of August 17. Indigenous participation in the Chamber of Deputies also reaches an all-time high, with 75 nominations, triple compared to the 25 in 2014. There were 39 in 2018 and 59 in 2022. The state legislative assemblies concentrate the greatest number of nominations, with 99 candidates. This is followed by three nominations for district deputy in the Federal District, four for the Senate, three for state governments, two for lieutenant governor and five for alternate senator. The applications are distributed in 26 of the 27 federative units of Brazil. The legal Amazon alone concentrates 80 candidates, equal to 41.9% of the total. Women represent 84 candidates, equal to 43.8% of the total. The candidates belong to 64 indigenous peoples. The most represented group is that of the Macuxi, with 13 nominations, followed by the Guarani Kaiowá with 12. Followed by the Guarani with eight, the Munduruku with seven, Mura and Terena with six each, while Tupinambá and Wapichana have five each.