There electoral race this year enters a decisive phase in the coming weeks. Among the July 20th and August 5th, parties and federations will hold their party conventions. These meetings are essential for formalizing the candidates for elected office and for ratifying the alliances and coalitions that will participate in the competition.
It is during this period that the names who will compete for the positions of President of the Republic, Governor, Senator and federal, state and district Deputies.
After the selection, candidates have to face another phase: the official request for registration at the Electoral Justice. This process must be completed by August 15th.
Subsequently, the Justice Department analyzes all the documentation and verifies that each candidate meets the legal requirements. Only after this verification can the name be authorized to appear on the electronic ballot box.
In the case of the contest for the Presidency of the Republic, it is the Superior Electoral Court to carry out the analysis of the recordings. Regional Electoral Courts (TRE), instead, handle requests for other state and federal positions.
The rules also define the number of candidates each party can field. president, governor, or mayor, for example, only one candidacy is allowed per party, federation or coalition, always accompanied by a deputy.
In the elections for member of parliament and municipal councilor, the number of candidates can reach the total number of places up for grabs, plus one extra place.
Another point of attention is the so-called gender quota. The legislation establishes that parties and federations must have a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70% of candidates for each gender. If this ratio is not respected, registration of the entire list may be denied.