Lisbon has firmly consolidated its position as the largest electoral constituency for Brazilian citizens living abroad ahead of the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for October. According to a diplomatic source from the Brazilian government, the Portuguese capital experienced a massive voter registration growth of 52.36% compared to the previous electoral cycle.
Preliminary data released by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) reveals that the number of eligible voters registered in Lisbon has surged to 68,979 for the presidential race, in which current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking a consecutive mandate. To accommodate this unprecedented surge in voter turnout, diplomatic officials expect to set up 183 voting stations and deploy 87 electronic voting machines throughout the city of Lisbon alone.
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The Portuguese capital had already claimed the title of the city with the highest concentration of registered Brazilian voters during the 2022 presidential elections, boasting a voter base of 45,200 at the time. During that period, Lisbon was closely followed by the American cities of Miami and Boston, which recorded 40,100 and 37,100 eligible voters, respectively.
Four years ago, in the highly polarized election that saw Lula da Silva narrowly defeat former President Jair Bolsonaro, approximately 697,000 Brazilian nationals residing outside of Brazil were eligible to cast their ballots globally. While current registration spikes point toward a significant expansion of the expatriate electorate, the TSE is scheduled to release the final, audited figures for the global eligible voter base on July 20.
