eleitoral

Eleitoral is a Portuguese adjective meaning related to elections or the process of electing public officials. It is used to describe law, institutions, campaigns, and activities connected to elections. The term is widely used in Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-speaking countries and in political science to distinguish matters linked to voters, candidates, and electoral competition from other political processes.

Common expressions include direito eleitoral (electoral law), sistema eleitoral (electoral system), campanha eleitoral (electoral campaign), financiamento eleitoral (electoral financing), and crimes eleitorais (electoral crimes). The field encompasses voter registration and suffrage rules, ballot design and counting, campaigning rules, party financing, electoral dispute resolution, and the administration of elections.

Regional context: In Brazil, Justiça Eleitoral and Tribunal Superior Eleitoral are prominent institutions that oversee electoral matters and adjudicate disputes. In Portugal and other Lusophone countries, electoral law governs national and local elections within national legal frameworks. The term also appears in academic and journalistic writing to contrast electoral processes with other political activities.

Etymology: the word derives from eleicao, meaning election, with the adjectival suffix -al.