Brazil Federal Police Detain 129 on Election Day Over Vote-Buying and Illegal Campaigning
POLITICS · BRAZIL
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Key Facts
- —The country Brazil voted on Sunday 4 October 2026 for president, Congress, governors and state assemblies. Polls closed at 17:00 Brasília time (20:00 UTC).
- —What happened By 15:10 Brasília time on 4 October, the Federal Police had taken 129 people to police stations over suspected electoral crimes, CNN Brasil and Jovem Pan reported.
- —The numbers The Ministry of Justice logged 478 suspected electoral crimes from Saturday to 16:00 Sunday. Vote-buying ranked third with 74 reports (Folhapress, 4 October).
- —What it means for you Voting ran normally. Federal Police chief Andrei Rodrigues said the morning’s cases did not disrupt the vote (Agência Brasil, 4 October).
- —Still open The final election-day tally, how many people face charges, and which candidates the Roraima cash was meant to help. Police have named none.
Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) took 129 people to police stations on election day, as vote-buying cases and illegal campaigning dominated the count. The figure covers incidents up to 15:10 Brasília time on Sunday 4 October, CNN Brasil and Jovem Pan reported.
In Roraima, officers searched the homes of two candidates and seized R$300,000 (about US$57,500) in cash. The raids grew out of last week’s arrests: Brazil Vote-Buying Bust: Police Arrest 22 in Roraima Ring Paying Voters US$77 Each.
How the election-day tally grew
The PF publishes rolling figures during the vote. Its 9:00 statement listed 28 people taken in, in seven states and the capital district.
By 12:30 the count had reached 59, CartaCapital reported. By 15:10 it stood at 129, across 20 states and the Federal District.
Being taken in is not the same as being charged. By 15:10 the PF had filed 18 minor-offence reports and opened six inquiries.
Officers seized R$789,828 (about US$151,000) in goods and money that day. Cash made up R$383,628 (about US$73,500), and the PF called all figures preliminary.
Illegal campaigning led the wider count
The Ministry of Justice collects reports from all police forces, not just the PF. It logged 478 suspected electoral crimes between Saturday and 16:00 on Sunday, Folhapress reported.
Illegal campaign material led with 180 reports. Canvassing voters near polling stations, banned on voting day, followed with 129, and vote-buying came third with 74.
Minas Gerais had the most reports, 59, ahead of Rio Grande do Sul with 48. The Northeast led the regions with 189.
Roraima raids follow last week’s vote-buying arrests
On Sunday morning the PF launched Operation Cota-Parte in Boa Vista, the state capital. It searched the home of federal deputy Gabriel Mota (União), who is seeking re-election.
The cash was found at the home of his father-in-law, state deputy Gabriel Picanço, Roraima 1 reported. Agência Brasil confirmed the seizure.
The operation grew out of 11 people held in a Boa Vista house on Friday 2 October. Mota said police took only his phone and “found nothing”; Picanço’s office said he trusts the institutions.
A second vote-buying probe, Operation Struktur, served four warrants and seized about R$15,000 (about US$2,900), Folha BV and Roraima 1 reported. It began with a man caught carrying R$33,720 (about US$6,460) and voter lists.
The vote went ahead without disruption
Rodrigues told reporters the incidents had not affected voting. Across 2026 the PF has opened 1,300 inquiries into electoral crimes, CNN Brasil reported.
Seizures this year exceed R$46.5 million (about US$8.9 million), of which R$30.6 million (about US$5.9 million) was cash. Rodrigues also cited 97 inquiries into political violence against women.
What Is Not Yet Known
The PF had not published a closing tally for the day by Sunday evening. It is not yet clear how many of the 129 were formally arrested.
Police have not said which candidates the Roraima money was meant to help. Under Brazilian law, a proven vote-buying case can cost a candidate the seat.
Sources: Federal Police, balance at 9:00, 4 October 2026; CNN Brasil and Jovem Pan, PF balance at 15:10, 4 October 2026; CartaCapital, 4 October 2026; Folhapress via Jornal de Brasília, Ministry of Justice security report, 4 October 2026; Agência Brasil, 4 October 2026; Roraima 1 and Folha BV, 4 October 2026. Dollar conversions at 5.22 reais per US dollar (2 October 2026 close).
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief