Brazil's 2026 presidential election is shaping up to be one of the most consequential votes in the country's recent democratic history — and one of the most closely watched from abroad. To ensure the international community has access to reliable, unbiased and fact-checked information throughout the electoral cycle, The Brazilian Report is partnering with the Brazil Office Alliance to launch the International Observatory on Brazil's 2026 Elections.
Why it matters
The stakes could not be higher. Brazil’s presidential race has grown increasingly polarized with right-wing voters coalescing behind Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president who was jailed for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. He will face the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his center-left coalition.
Beyond domestic tensions, Brazil's geopolitical weight adds another layer of complexity: the country is home to some of the world's largest reserves of rare earth minerals, it is a major commodities producer, and it has emerged as a leading voice in calls for Big Tech regulation — meaning its political direction is a matter of global consequence.
The international dimension of the vote is already in sharp focus. In 2022, the Biden administration in the US played a significant role in containing putschist impulses within Brazil's military. Today, many observers fear the Trump White House could take a different approach — one that could actively seek to tilt the scales in favor of Flávio Bolsonaro. Tracking these external pressures will be central to the Observatory's mission.
Meet our organizations
The partnership brings together two organizations with complementary missions and deep roots in the Brazil-watching space.
The Brazilian Report is a Brazilian-led, reader-funded outlet established in 2017. As an independent company with no hidden agenda, it has spent nearly a decade ensuring Brazil's perspectives on democracy, justice, climate and human rights reach international audiences.
The Brazil Office Alliance is an independent network comprising the Washington Brazil Office, the Europa Brazil Office, and the Associação Brazil Office — working across the US, Europe and Brazil to strengthen civil society, protect human rights, and defend democracy and the rule of law.
What we pledge to do
Through the Observatory, both organizations will publish newsletters (once a week) and podcasts (every two weeks), offering analysis tailored to international audiences, alongside monthly programmatic debates that bring together experts from Brazil and the US to discuss parallel issues of shared concern to both countries.
At a moment when disinformation travels fast and the geopolitical stakes of Brazilian democracy have never been clearer, the International Observatory on Brazil's 2026 Elections aims to be an essential resource for diplomats, journalists, researchers and engaged citizens around the world who need to understand what is happening — and why it matters.
Be part of this initiative!
Journalism and democracy are inseparable — and right now, both are under threat. A free press is not a luxury; it is the infrastructure of accountable governance, and when it weakens, so does everything else. That is why your support matters.
By donating to the International Observatory on Brazil's 2026 Elections, you are directly funding the journalists and editors who make this work possible. Every contribution goes toward staffing, deeper coverage and the tools we need to do this job the right way — on behalf of readers like you.
