The Electoral Public Prosecutor's Office contested 974 candidacy registrations across the country for the 2026 Elections, according to a partial balance that includes actions and opinions submitted until last Wednesday. The majority of the challenges, more than 70% of the total, are concentrated in races for state and federal deputies.
The state of São Paulo leads the ranking of challenges in isolation, with 557 cases, representing more than half of all the challenges made in the country. Maranhão, Minas Gerais, and Paraíba appear next among the states with the highest number of challenges.
Among the reasons cited by the Public Prosecutor's Office are criminal convictions, administrative improbity, abuse of political and economic power, in addition to lack of electoral clearance and problems in the financial disclosures of the challenged candidates.
In the presidential race, the Attorney General's Office for Electoral Matters contested Pablo Marçal's candidacy, alleging ineligibility until 2032 and lack of proof of party affiliation. The Superior Electoral Court has already granted a provisional decision suspending the candidate's access to free electoral airtime.
