About this election
The 2022 Senate election, held with the general election on 2 October, reinforced the rightward shift of Brazil's upper house. With one seat per state contested, the party of outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro, the Liberal Party (PL), became the largest single bloc in the chamber, and the broader conservative camp emerged strengthened — a result that, together with a right-leaning Chamber of Deputies, sharply constrained the incoming third government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The 81-member Federal Senate is renewed by thirds and two-thirds in alternating cycles; in 2022 one seat per state and the Federal District — 27 in all — was up for election by first-past-the-post, each voter casting a single vote. Senators serve eight-year terms, and because every state has equal representation regardless of size, the chamber over-represents Brazil's smaller and more conservative states. A simple majority is 41; a three-fifths supermajority (49) is required to amend the constitution.
The single-seat races were heavily nationalised by the Lula–Bolsonaro polarisation, with the president urging voters to elect senators who would support his agenda. Many of his prominent allies, including former ministers, won, while Lula's coalition struggled to match the right's performance outside its North-Eastern strongholds.
Combining the newly elected senators with those continuing in office, the resulting chamber was led by the PL with 13 seats, ahead of União Brasil (12), the PSD and MDB (10 each) and the PT (9); the Progressives (7) and Podemos (6) followed. The composition gave the right and centre-right a clear plurality and left the governing parties well short of a majority of their own.
The conservative Senate, like the Chamber, forced President Lula to govern through constant negotiation with the "centrão", distributing ministries and budget resources in exchange for support. Control of the Senate's confirmation and constitutional powers made it central to disputes over the budget, tax reform and judicial appointments, and confirmed that Brazil's voters had paired a left-wing presidency with a Congress firmly anchored on the right.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.