Brazilian democracy grows stronger whenever the will of the people can be expressed freely, securely, and sovereignly.

In 2026, Brazil will once again experience a defining moment in which millions of citizens will decide the country’s future through their votes. Voting is a hard-won right whose universalization in Brazil is relatively recent, and it represents one of the greatest expressions of our democracy. Protecting this achievement is the responsibility of everyone, organized civil society, and democratic institutions.

Around the world, democratic elections face increasingly complex challenges to the integrity of electoral processes. Coordinated disinformation campaigns, digital manipulation, attacks on the credibility of institutions, and the growing normalization of political violence threaten the fundamental values of democratic societies. In Brazil, these will be the first general elections held since the attempted coup d’état, which was preceded and fueled by challenges to the results of the 2022 elections and culminated in the attacks against the Three Branches of Government on January 8, 2023.

The 2026 electoral process will take place in an equally challenging context. Political groups continue their attempts to undermine the credibility of electronic voting machines and the electoral process, while external threats and possible attempts at interference by other countries also pose concrete and urgent risks to democratic stability. These challenges are compounded by the rapid development of emerging technologies—particularly generative artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and the automation of the production and dissemination of disinformation—as well as by the difficulties involved in regulating and holding digital platforms and technology companies accountable.

Brazil is not immune to these challenges. We must therefore reaffirm that defending electoral integrity requires permanent commitments from society as a whole. These commitments are:

Commitment to confidence in Brazil’s electoral process. Built through decades of institutional improvement, Brazil’s electoral system is recognized for its efficiency, transparency, and ability to ensure that the will expressed at the ballot box prevails. Through the electronic voting system and existing electoral laws, we guarantee the population’s freedom to choose its representatives, strengthen an increasingly representative and diverse democracy, and ensure the full exercise of political rights for all. In this context, countering disinformation is also essential, provided that freedom of expression is preserved and actions are guided by clear rules.

Commitment to national sovereignty. Decisions about the country’s future belong to the Brazilian people. No foreign government, economic group, international organization, or transnational influence network may exert pressure, interfere with, or manipulate the democratic process of an autonomous nation. Defending democracy also means defending the country’s ability to determine its own future freely and sovereignly.

Commitment to democratic peace. Political competition must be pluralistic and provide ample space for the debate of ideas, but it must never be based on intimidation, hatred, or violence—whether in everyday life or facilitated by technology. No one should be threatened, persecuted, or subjected to violence because of their social identity, political activities, candidacy, or vote. Violence can never replace dialogue, and fear must never take the place of freedom.

Commitment to pluralistic and representative elections. The Federal Constitution and electoral legislation establish measures to promote broad and inclusive political participation, ensuring conditions for the representation of women, Black and Indigenous people, and the electoral participation of groups historically rendered invisible by the State, including people deprived of their liberty. The integrity of the electoral process depends both on the existence of pluralistic and representative candidacies—competing on equal terms with groups historically privileged by the party system—and on the adoption of measures that guarantee everyone’s right to vote.

Electoral integrity is a collective endeavor. It depends on the public institutions that organize and oversee elections; political parties and candidates, which must respect democratic rules; the press, committed to providing information in the public interest; the private sector, digital platforms, and technology companies, which bear responsibility for the environments they manage; academia; and citizens.

Civil society plays a fundamental role in this collective endeavor and commits to working to ensure that the 2026 elections reflect the sovereign will of the Brazilian people and represent an important step toward strengthening our democracy.