Religious Leaders Elected in 2026: Who Are They and What Positions
In the 2026 elections, five religious leaders secured direct seats in the Legislative: three state assemblies and two in the Federal Chamber. Another 43 became substitutes, totaling 48 elected between titulars and substitutes.
In the general elections held on Sunday (4), Brazilian voters directly elected five religious leaders to occupy seats in the Poder Legislativo. The survey considered candidacies whose self-declared occupation was “Priest or Member of Order or Religious Sect”, according to the classifications of the Superior Electoral Court.
In addition to the five directly elected, another 43 religious leaders appear on the list of alternates of the Legislative. That is, of the 48 religious leaders elected to the state and federal legislature, 5 were directly elected, and 43 remained in the surrogacy.
Who are the five direct elected representatives?
Three candidates were elected to the state assemblies: one in Goiás and two in Santa Catarina. Other two were elected as federal deputies, both by the state of Minas Gerais. They are:
Although both were elected in the same federative unit, Sergio Motta and Padre Pedro are part of acronyms of political positioning practically opposite. The same thing happened to Father John and Lincoln Portela.
The source did not detail the full names of the elected officials, but the distribution by state and office is clear. This configuration shows the partisan diversity among directly elected religious leaders.
Substitute: 43 on the waiting list
🔎 Alternate is the candidate who has not been elected but has been placed on the party or federation waiting list. He can take the vacancy if a holder leaves the position, is dismissed or begins to exercise another function. In other words, the deputies to federal and state/district deputies are deputies of the party, and not of a specific candidacy, as in the Senate.
Of the 43 alternates, 18 are federal deputies and 25 are state or district deputies (21 state and 4 district). See who is below:
Among the alternate religious leaders, the nominations of the PL (9) prevail, followed by the Union and the Republicans, with 6 alternates each. This partisan predominance reflects the weight of these acronyms in the proportional dispute.
Regional distribution of alternates
In addition, the Southeast and Northeast together have 24 of the 43 alternates, more than half. The state of Rio de Janeiro leads, with 8 alternates, followed by Ceará, with 5, and the Federal District and Santa Catarina, both with 4.
This regional concentration indicates where the candidacies of religious leaders had the highest volume of votes, even without guaranteeing ownership. The full list of alternates has not been released by the source.
Comparison with the 2018 election
In the previous election, in 2018, the number of candidacies of religious leaders was also higher than in 2026. With a total of 112 candidates, 7 were directly elected (5 state deputies and 1 federal deputy). There were 87 alternates: 67 state and 15 federal. In addition, 3 religious leaders ran for the Senate, but none of them were elected.
The figures show a reduction in the total number of candidates and direct elected officials in 2026, but a proportional increase in surrogacy. The source did not detail the reasons for this variation.
Methodology of the survey
In order to make this survey, the g1 took into account the candidacies whose self-declared occupation was “Priest or Member of Order or Religious Sect”, according to the classifications of the Superior Electoral Court.
This methodology allows to accurately identify the candidates who presented themselves as religious leaders, regardless of the party or position contested. The cut only covers the proportional elections for the federal and state/district legislature.
With the inauguration of the elected and the possible summoning of alternates, the political scenario may undergo changes in the coming years. Follow on Boca no Trombone the updates on the performance of these religious representatives in Congress and in the assemblies.
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