Indigenous candidates in Brazilian state and federal Legislatures, from 2014 to 2022

Abstract

For the first time in Brazilian political history, at an emblematic moment for indigenous peoples, seven indigenous candidates are elected to federal and national Legislatures, in the 2022 Elections, according to statistical data from the Superior Electoral Court for 2014, 2018 and 2022. This was possibly due to the impetus of associations and non-governmental organizations linked to the various indigenous communities present in the Terra Livre Camps (ATLs). From the 1988 Constitution until 2022, only one indigenous person was elected to the state Legislature (2014, TSE) and one indigenous woman was elected to the Chamber of Deputies (2018, TSE). But how many representatives of these peoples have already tried to appear on the party lists and, thus,
contest electorally for a legislative seat? Thus, the objective of this study is to present, based on the systematization of data from indigenous candidacies to state and federal legislatures, from 2014 to 2022, the quantitative evolution of candidacies in that period and by region. And, starting from the 2022 Election, identify the profile of those elected according to gender, their level
of education, the parties they were elected for, their participation in previous elections/reelections and the distribution of candidacies by region and state. Methodologically, it is a quantitative and descriptive-exploratory analysis of both the role of NGOs and the electoral legislation applied in the 2022 Election and the increase in indigenous candidacies.