Election Basics

Presidential elections in Brazil are held every four years. A president cannot serve 3 consecutive terms but can run for a third term in a later election; in other words, President Lula could legally run again in 2014, though he has not indicated any plans to do so.

Voting is mandatory for Brazilian citizens between the ages of 18 and 70, and is done electronically. Those who do not vote must justify their absence or pay a small fine.

The first round of this year’s presidential election will take place on October 3. If none of the candidates win an outright majority of the vote, a run-off is set for October 31.

Throughout the election campaign, Dilma Rousseff and José Serra have been in a close race, with Marina Silva trailing in third place.

According to recent public opinion polls, Dilma has recently broken away from the tight race with Serra.

Dilma Rousseff recently opened a significant lead over José Serra.