Maranhão elects Eduardo Braide as governor in first round

Eduardo Braide was elected governor of Maranhão on Sunday (4), in the first round of the 2026 elections. The PSD candidate obtained 54.10% of the valid votes, the equivalent of 2,074,520 votes, according to data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).

By 9:17 p.m., 98.42% of the ballot boxes had been totaled in the state. With the result, he is mathematically elected.

Braide was ahead of Orleans Brandão (MDB), who received 34.68% of the vote (1,329,874).

The following candidates appear:

Felipe Camarão (PT), 9.59%;

Roberto Rocha (PRTB), 1.27%;

André Luís (Mission), 0.20%;

Saulo Arcangeli (PSTU), 0.12%;

Reginaldo Lima (PCB), 0.03%;

Dimas Cassimiro (PCO), 0.01%.

Election to governor is defined in the first round when a nomination gets more than half of the valid votes. With the result, there will be no second round for the government of Maranhão.

“I receive this victory with great gratitude and, above all, with a deep sense of responsibility. Maranhão has chosen a new path, and it is up to us to honor each vote, working to improve the lives of people in all regions of our state,” Eduardo Braide said in a statement.

The elected governor promised to expand dialogue with society and join efforts.

“This is not a person’s victory. It is a victory of all those who believed that it is possible to do more for Maranhão. As of today, our commitment is to all Maranhenses, regardless of where they live or how they voted. We will work to build a stronger, developed Maranhão with more opportunities for all,” he added.

Eduardo Braide was mayor of São Luís for two terms, elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Before that, he was a state deputy for two terms and a federal deputy. In 2026, he left the city hall to dispute the government of Maranhão.

The vote for governor took place simultaneously with the election for president, senator and federal, state or district deputies (in the case of the Federal District).