Despite losing the municipal elections in their respective cities, federal deputy André Fernandes (PL-CE) and state deputy Bruno Engler (PL-MG) showed that the Brazilian right should bet on younger candidates as an electoral strategy for the coming years . Both are under 30 and reached the second round against older candidates.
In the 2024 elections, Fernandes, aged 26, ran for mayor of Fortaleza against state deputy Evandro Leitão (PT), aged 57, and came in second place. The PL candidate received 49.62% of the valid votes, while the PT candidate received 50.38%. In Belo Horizonte, Engler, aged 27, won 46.27% of the votes, but current mayor Fuad Noman (PSD), aged 77, received 53.73% of the valid votes and was re-elected.
When commenting on the situation in the capital of Ceará, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) minimized the defeat and highlighted André Fernandes’ age as something positive. “I am very happy to see a young right-wing leadership emerging in the Northeast,” said Bolsonaro during a press conference in the Senate on October 30.
The expectation is that both will run for office in 2026. In the case of André Fernandes, the federal deputy stated that he wants to run for government of Ceará in the general elections, but will not be able to run due to his age. In 2026, he will be 28 years old. The legislation determines that the candidate for governor must be at least 35 years old.
After being defeated in Belo Horizonte, Bruno Engler has not yet commented on his political future. The expectation, however, is that the parliamentarian will seek re-election to the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais (ALMG) or seek a seat in the Chamber of Deputies.
Centrão and right-wing advance in youth candidacies
But what do the numbers show about the performance of right-wing youth in these elections? According to data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the Liberal Party elected 331 councilors between 18 and 29 years old. In 2020, the party had won 249 seats in municipal legislatures.
In the general picture, however, Centrão predominates in the number of young councilors. Check it out:
Elected councilors aged 18 to 29 in 2024:
- MDB: 479
- PP: 418
- PSD: 391
- PL: 331
- Union: 322
- Republicans: 271
- PSB: 225
- PT: 205
- PSDB: 164
- PDT: 130
Among the number obtained by the PL, the election of Lucas Pavanato to the São Paulo City Council stands out. At just 26 years old, the youngest councilor in the capital of São Paulo received 161,386 votes on October 6th. In the opinion of the president of PL Jovem, Evandro Araújo, Pavanato’s vote is considered historic for the party and the local right.
“Lucas Pavanato came strong, he is a young man with very firm positions, without a doubt a historic election,” he said. He also commented that the votes in Fortaleza and Belo Horizonte reinforce the evolution of conservatism in the country.
“Bruno Engler was the most voted state deputy in the history of Minas Gerais, André Fernandes was the most voted federal deputy in Ceará. Both are promising and very fierce young people. I don’t see it as a defeat, it’s just the beginning. The strength of conservative youth is here to stay”, stated Araújo.
Advancement of young applications is a reflection of Nikolas Ferreira’s commitment
The participation of federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) in the electoral process is also seen by analysts as a differentiating factor for the growth of young candidates in the party. Elected councilor of Belo Horizonte in 2020, the congressman gained prominence on social media for his conservative positions and in defense of then-president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Upon being elected as the federal deputy with the most votes in Brazil, in 2022, Nikolas started working on PL pre-candidacies during last year and even visited several campaigns during this year’s election, such as those of Engler, Fernandes and Pavanato. In addition to young candidacies, he also supported candidacies from older people, such as that of federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL) for mayor of Rio de Janeiro.
In the assessment of political scientist Juan Carlos Arruda, CEO of Ranking of Politicians, Ferreira stood out for capturing public attention and mobilizing support around conservative agendas, establishing a new model of communication with young audiences.
“Nikolas brought a new way of communicating, using social networks effectively, and served as an inspiration for other candidates who share this political vision”, he explains.
Arruda also highlights that this trend should grow and impact the direction of the right in the country. For him, “the young presence will continue to influence and make politics more accessible to a generation that previously saw itself as alien to these spaces.” This movement, according to Arruda, represents an important transformation for the Brazilian political scenario.
The Left has a structure centered on Lula; right decentralizes with Bolsonaro’s influence
The use of political godparents in young candidates is a common movement in politics. However, in the case of Lula and Bolsonaro, the approach between left and right can explain the numbers of young people elected to municipal councils.
According to Adriano Cerqueira, political scientist and professor at Ibmec in Belo Horizonte, while Lula appears to preserve a more rigid structure within the PT, Bolsonaro seems to opt for a less centralizing approach, promoting leadership and embracing internal competitiveness.
“Bolsonaro is more generous in endorsing candidacies, in promoting leadership”, he observes, highlighting the contrast with former president Lula. “Lula is very ungenerous in launching new leaders and sees any growth as a threat to his command of the PT”, says Cerqueira.
He further explains that, on the left, “the party is treated as a hierarchy, where a leadership asserts itself and ends up establishing a cult of that figure”, while, on the right, the environment tends to be more “competitive, without a demand so strong by strict control.”
Still, Bolsonaro expressed his position last week on his role on the right. In a press conference at the Federal Senate, on October 29, the former president said that a right-wing movement without his presence would be a “utopia”.
“These guys bring together how many people at the airport, in a chat anywhere in Brazil? They don’t know the language of the people. It’s a utopia. Everyone who tried to establish themselves as a leader through likes or seals never got anywhere”, said Bolsonaro.
