Presidential elections in Brazil

Direct presidential elections are held in Brazil as part of the general elections every four years (which has been regular since 1994), typically in October. The current electoral law provides for a two-round system in which a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to win in the first round; if no candidate passes the 50% threshold, a run-off is held between the top two candidates.^[1] Every candidate has a running mate who disputes the post of vice-president; prior to 1966, the vice-president was elected separately.

The country has held presidential elections since 1891, spanning over a period of several different republican governments and national constitutions.

This list shows the winner of the elections and the runner-up.

Old Republic

Presidentialism was introduced in Brazil after the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889, and the first election was held in 1891. According to the 1891 Constitution, the right to vote was restricted to men over 21 years old who were not illiterate, homeless or enlisted-rank soldiers.^[2] The elections for president and vice-president were held separately and the same person could be a candidate for both.

Overall, only a small portion of the population voted.^[3] Since coronelism was common, the colonel elites often persuaded people to vote for certain candidates.

1891

The very first president was elected indirectly by the Congress.


Candidate	Votes	%
Deodoro da Fonseca	129	55.60
Prudente de Morais	97	41.81
Floriano Peixoto	3	1.29
Saldanha Marinho	2	0.86
José Higino Duarte Pereira	1	0.43
Total	232	100.00

Valid votes	232	99.15
Invalid/blank votes	2	0.85
Total votes	234	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	268	87.31

1894

From 1894 on, elections were held every four years.


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Prudente de Morais	Federal Republican	290,889	84.38
	Afonso Pena	Mineiro Republican Party	38,291	11.11
	Cesário Alvim	Mineiro Republican Party	3,719	1.08
	Ruy Barbosa	Paulista Republican Party	3,718	1.08
	José Luiz de Almeida Couto		3,137	0.91
	Lauro Sodré	Federal Republican	1,876	0.54
Others			3,092	0.90
Total			344,722	100.00

Valid votes			344,722	96.93
Invalid/blank votes			10,903	3.07
Total votes			355,625	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,050,000	33.87

1898


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Campos Sales	Paulista Republican Party	420,286	90.98
	Lauro Sodré	Federal Republican	38,929	8.43
	Júlio de Castilhos	Rio-Grandense Republican	621	0.13
Others			2,115	0.46
Total			461,951	100.00

Valid votes			461,951	98.34
Invalid/blank votes			7,812	1.66
Total votes			469,763	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,168,000	40.22

1902


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Rodrigues Alves	Paulista Republican Party	592,038	91.69
	Quintino Bocaiuva	Conservative Republican	42,542	6.59
Others			11,147	1.73
Total			645,727	100.00

Valid votes			645,727	97.84
Invalid/blank votes			14,273	2.16
Total votes			660,000	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,286,000	51.32

1906


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Afonso Pena	Mineiro Republican Party	288,285	98.27
	Lauro Sodré	Federal Republican	4,865	1.66
	Ruy Barbosa	Paulista Republican Party	207	0.07
Others
Total			293,357	100.00

Valid votes			293,357	98.13
Invalid/blank votes			5,599	1.87
Total votes			298,956	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,357,000	22.03

1910


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Hermes da Fonseca	Conservative Republican	403,867	64.35
	Ruy Barbosa	Paulista Republican Party	222,822	35.51
	Venceslau Brás	Mineiro Republican Party	152	0.02
Others			726	0.12
Total			627,567	100.00

Valid votes			627,567	98.06
Invalid/blank votes			12,433	1.94
Total votes			640,000	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,490,000	42.95

1914


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Venceslau Brás	Mineiro Republican Party	532,107	91.58
	Ruy Barbosa	Liberal Republican	47,782	8.22
	Pinheiro Machado	Conservative Republican	222	0.04
Others			889	0.15
Total			581,000	100.00

Valid votes			581,000	98.47
Invalid/blank votes			9,000	1.53
Total votes			590,000	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,580,000	37.34

1918


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Rodrigues Alves	Paulista Republican Party	386,467	99.03
	Nilo Peçanha	Fluminense Republican	1,768	0.45
	Ruy Barbosa	Paulista Republican Party	1,044	0.27
Others			962	0.25
Total			390,241	100.00

Valid votes			390,241	98.80
Invalid/blank votes			4,749	1.20
Total votes			394,990	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,726,000	22.88

1919

Since Rodrigues Alves, the President-elect, caught the Spanish flu and died before taking office, a new election was held in 1919.


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Epitácio Pessoa	Mineiro Republican Party	286,373	70.96
	Ruy Barbosa	Paulista Republican Party	116,414	28.85
	Altino Arantes	Paulista Republican Party	161	0.04
Others			612	0.15
Total			403,560	100.00

Valid votes			403,560	96.55
Invalid/blank votes			14,440	3.45
Total votes			418,000	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,766,000	23.67

1922


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Artur Bernardes	Mineiro Republican Party	466,972	59.46
	Nilo Peçanha	Fluminense Republican	317,714	40.46
	Urbano Santos	Mineiro Republican Party	232	0.03
Others			383	0.05
Total			785,301	100.00

Valid votes			785,301	73.67
Invalid/blank votes			280,699	26.33
Total votes			1,066,000	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			1,900,000	56.11

1926


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Washington Luís	Paulista Republican Party	688,528	99.70
	Assis Brasil	Democratic Republican	1,116	0.16
	Melo Viana	Mineiro Republican Party	341	0.05
Others			598	0.09
Total			690,583	100.00

Valid votes			690,583	98.37
Invalid/blank votes			11,417	1.63
Total votes			702,000	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			2,210,000	31.76

1930


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Júlio Prestes	Paulista Republican Party	1,091,709	59.39
	Getúlio Vargas	Liberal Alliance	742,794	40.41
	Minervino de Oliveira	Workers and Peasants' Bloc	151	0.01
Others			3,550	0.19
Total			1,838,204	100.00

Valid votes			1,838,204	96.74
Invalid/blank votes			61,921	3.26
Total votes			1,900,125	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			2,525,000	75.25

Vargas Era

With the Revolution of 1930, the country was governed until 1930 by a military triumvirate, while Getúlio Vargas was the de facto president (officially President of the Provisional Government).^[4] The new Constitution predicted that the first president would be chosen by the Congress in an indirect election.

1934


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Getúlio Vargas (incumbent)	Independent	175	57.00
	Borges de Medeiros	Rio-Grandense Republican	59	19.22
Others			73	23.78
Total			307	100.00

A second election was scheduled for 1938, but it did not happen due to the 1937 coup d'état, under which another Constitution was written.

Second Republic

After Vargas was forced to resign in 1945, a new state was born under a democratic constitution written in 1946. The new Constitution provided for direct elections every five years for both president and vice-president.

1945


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Eurico Gaspar Dutra	PSD	3,251,507	55.39
	Eduardo Gomes	UDN	2,039,341	34.74
	Yedo Fiúza	PCB	569,818	9.71
	Mário Rolim Teles	PAN	10,001	0.17
Total			5,870,667	100.00

Valid votes			5,870,667	97.74
Invalid votes			65,217	1.09
Blank votes			70,328	1.17
Total votes			6,006,212	100.00

1950


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Getúlio Vargas	PTB	3,879,040	48.93
	Eduardo Gomes	UDN	2,342,384	29.55
	Cristiano Machado	PSD	1,697,173	21.41
	João Mangabeira	PSB	9,466	0.12
Total			7,928,063	100.00

Valid votes			7,928,063	95.68
Invalid votes			146,473	1.77
Blank votes			211,433	2.55
Total votes			8,285,969	100.00

1955


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Juscelino Kubitschek	PSD	3,077,411	35.68
	Juarez Távora	UDN	2,610,462	30.27
	Adhemar de Barros	PSP	2,222,725	25.77
	Plínio Salgado	PRP	714,379	8.28
Total			8,624,977	100.00

Valid votes			8,624,977	94.81
Invalid votes			310,185	3.41
Blank votes			161,852	1.78
Total votes			9,097,014	100.00

1960


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Jânio Quadros	PTN	5,636,825	48.26
	Teixeira Lott	PSD	3,846,825	32.94
	Adhemar de Barros	PSP	2,195,709	18.80
Total			11,679,359	100.00

Valid votes			11,679,359	92.79
Invalid votes			473,806	3.76
Blank votes			433,391	3.44
Total votes			12,586,556	100.00

Military rule

With the 1964 military coup d'état, the direct democracy ended and presidents (who were all members of military, except for the last one) were now elected by the Congress.^[5] The interval between elections was irregular.

1964


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Humberto Castello Branco	Ind.	361	98.63
	Juarez Távora	PDC	3	0.82
	Eurico Gaspar Dutra	PSD	2	0.55
Total			366	100.00

Valid votes			366	83.56
Invalid/blank votes			72	16.44
Total votes			438	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			475	92.21

1966

With the two-party system, only ARENA and MDB could dispute elections. President and vice-president were now part of the same ticket. The 1966 and 1969 elections had only one candidate.


Candidate		Running mate	Party	Votes	%
	Artur da Costa e Silva	Pedro Aleixo	ARENA	294	100.00
Total				294	100.00

Valid votes				294	87.76
Invalid/blank votes				41	12.24
Total votes				335	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				475	70.53

1969

First election under the 1967 Constitution.


Candidate		Running mate	Party	Votes	%
	Emílio Garrastazu Médici	Augusto Rademaker	ARENA	293	100.00
Total				293	100.00

Valid votes				293	79.40
Invalid/blank votes				76	20.60
Total votes				369	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				475	77.68

1974


Candidate		Running mate	Party	Votes	%
	Ernesto Geisel	Adalberto Pereira dos Santos	ARENA	400	84.03
	Ulysses Guimarães	Barbosa Lima Sobrinho	MDB	76	15.97
Total				476	100.00

Valid votes				476	95.77
Invalid/blank votes				21	4.23
Total votes				497	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				503	98.81

1978


Candidate		Running mate	Party	Votes	%
	João Figueiredo	Aureliano Chaves	ARENA	355	61.10
	Euler Bentes Monteiro	Paulo Brossard	MDB	226	38.90
Total				581	100.00

Valid votes				581	98.14
Invalid/blank votes				11	1.86
Total votes				592	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				592	100.00

1985

The two-party system ended in 1979 and many other parties were created. This was the last election under the military regime.


Candidate		Running mate	Party	Votes	%
	Tancredo Neves	José Sarney	PMDB	480	72.73
	Paulo Maluf	Flávio Marcílio	PDS	180	27.27
Total				660	100.00

Valid votes				660	96.21
Invalid/blank votes				26	3.79
Total votes				686	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				695	98.71

New Republic

Under the current Constitution enacted in October 1988, elections are held every four years (except for the first one, which was held five years before the second to match the centenary of the Proclamation of the Republic) and citizens elect a ticket for both president and vice-president. Voting is mandatory for men and women between 18 and 70 years old who are not illiterate, and optional for people aged 16–17, over 70, and illiterates.^[1]