Elections 2026: find out the next steps to formalize candidacies

This year's electoral race enters a decisive stage in the coming weeks. Between July 20th and August 5th, parties and federations will hold their party conventions. These meetings are essential to formalize the candidates for elected positions and endorse the alliances and coalitions that will compete in the election.

It is during this period that the names that will run for the positions of president of the Republic, governor, senator and federal, state and district deputies will be chosen.

After choosing, candidates still need to go through another phase: the official request for registration with the Electoral Court. This process must be completed by August 15th.

From there, the Court analyzes all documentation and checks whether each candidate meets the requirements required by law. Only after this check can the name be released to appear in the electronic ballot box.

In the case of the dispute for the Presidency of the Republic, it is the Superior Electoral Court that analyzes the records. The Regional Electoral Courts, the TREs, handle requests for other state and federal positions.

The rules also define how many candidates each party can field. For president, governor or mayor, for example, only one candidacy per party, federation or coalition is permitted, always accompanied by a vice-president.

In elections for deputy and councilor, the number of candidates can reach the total number of vacancies up for grabs, plus an extra vacancy.

Another point of attention is the so-called gender quota. The legislation determines that parties and federations have a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70% of candidates of each gender. If this proportion is not respected, registration of the entire slate may be denied.

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