Twenty Brazilian states elect governors in first round; seven head to runoff

Voters in 20 Brazilian states chose their governors outright on Sunday, a record number since redemocratisation, while five states and the Federal District will decide in a runoff on 25 October. The Superior Electoral Court confirmed the first-round results late on 4 October.

Right-leaning parties secured ten of the 20 governorships. The Liberal Party (PL) won five states across the South, Centre-West and North, including Paraná for Senator Sergio Moro and Rio Grande do Sul for Luciano Zucco. The Republicans party retained São Paulo with Governor Tarcísio de Freitas re-elected at 62.85% and took Minas Gerais with Senator Cleitinho Azevedo at 55.19%.

“This is the record number of governors decided in the first round since redemocratisation.”

The Progressive Party (PP) captured Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraíba, while the Social Democratic Party (PSD) won four states in the Northeast and North. The Workers' Party (PT) held three northeastern states: Bahia, Piauí and Ceará. The MDB kept Goiás and Podemos took Pará.

In the runoff, Rio de Janeiro leads the contested races where PL candidate Douglas Ruas faces former mayor Eduardo Paes (PSD). Espírito Santo, Amazonas, Acre, Rio Grande do Norte and Tocantins also head to a second round, along with the Federal District.