PSDB in São Paulo to allocate half of electoral fund to female candidates for first time

The PSDB’s São Paulo branch says it will take an unusual step in Brazil’s 2026 elections: half of its electoral fund will go to women candidates. The party describes the decision as unprecedented, while Brazilian electoral law requires parties to allocate 30% to women.

The branch expects to receive about 3 million reais, less than it had anticipated, for distribution among 139 candidates competing for seats in the federal Chamber of Deputies or the São Paulo state assembly. Only one-third of those candidates are women.

Among the PSDB’s 63 candidates for the federal Chamber in São Paulo, 20 are women. In the state race, 26 of the party’s 76 candidates are women. The party plans to elect three to four federal deputies and as many as six state deputies.

The allocation was influenced by the party’s distribution across Brazil’s states and by the presence of majoritarian candidates, who receive more party funding. The PSDB has eight candidates for state governor and one candidate for the Senate.

Paulo Serra, president of the São Paulo branch and himself a candidate, said the policy reflects a broader party priority. “More than complying with a rule, the PSDB is demonstrating, in concrete terms, that it believes in and invests in women’s participation in politics. We want to expand opportunities, strengthen competitive candidacies and increase women’s presence in legislatures,” he said.

The party also points to its state assembly caucus, which is entirely female, as an example of women’s representation within its ranks.

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More than complying with a rule, the PSDB is demonstrating, in concrete terms, that it believes in and invests in women’s participation in politics. We want to expand opportunities, strengthen competitive candidacies and increase women’s presence in legislatures.