The governor of , () begins the final half of his term with an eye on a vacancy in 2026, counting on relief in state coffers and in his political and legal situation.
Castro intends to launch a package of works in the municipalities of the metropolitan region and in the interior along the lines of the so-called RJ Pact, a set of works financed by the .
The investments, spread across the municipalities, will take advantage of the possible fiscal slack that the Castro administration envisions next year.
The approval in Congress of the agreement with the Union should represent, according to estimates, a relief of around R$10 billion in state coffers. The so-called Propag (Program for Full Payment of State Debts) awaits the president’s sanction.
The state management also plans to receive a new injection of resources with the bidding for the gas concession in the state next year. The expectation is that the competition will generate around R$10 billion in grants.
Added together, the two reliefs calculated for the state coffers are more than enough to cover the R$14.6 billion deficit predicted in next year’s budget.
One of the plans is to launch a R$2 billion asphalting package in cities in the interior. The schedule of inaugurations planned for the final stretch of his term is one of the wakes of his possible candidacy for the Senate.
The new plans are made after a year in which the governor had Thiago Pampolha (), and , () — considered his main allies. The three have gotten closer in recent weeks.
“It was a difficult political year, the issue of my removal from the vice-governor, which is approaching again. The issue of some conflicts with the president of the Assembly, who we also now have a moment of peace. He is a friend , is a guy who is part of my group, but is not my employee”, he said, during an end-of-year interview with journalists on the 18th.
Castro also managed to reverse harsh defeats in court. The minister, of the (Supreme Federal Court), the governor at the (Superior Court of Justice) — one of them already completed by the com.
The governor also in the TRE-RJ (Regional Electoral Court of Rio de Janeiro), by 4 to 3, in the process that analyzed the . In December, Castro appointed lawyer Fernando Cabral Filho as judge of the Court of Justice, who voted for acquittal when he was in the electoral court.
The case is still being processed in the (Superior Electoral Court), where the Electoral Attorney General’s Office has already requested the governor’s conviction. The trial is expected to take place in 2025.
Assessing that he has overcome the most tense moment of his legal vulnerabilities, Castro plans “other flights”, in his own words. Previously, he said he would stay in the position until the end of his term and then dedicate himself to law. Now, he has started to reconsider the race for the Senate after acting actively in Congress for the approval of Propag.
“When I do what I did this week in the Senate, everyone ends up saying: ‘Wow, you have a good profile to be there’. But also because of a turbulent political moment, the Chief Executive is thinking 100% about chair is fundamental”, he said. “So, until we are more organized, my thoughts are 100% in the chair [de governador]even though I know I’m someone with a profile for other flights.”
The vacancy on the Senate ticket promises to be close in PL-RJ. (PL-RJ) has captive space to seek re-election. The other post, of interest to Castro, is claimed by senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ).
Portinho provoked Castro after the publication of a note on the Tempo Real RJ website in which he informed the governor’s new plans to run for the Senate.
“Until the elections in 2026, many will want to. But in the meantime I work. A lot. And now the stakes are higher!”, wrote the senator on X (former Twitter).
“Portinho doesn’t need to worry, because today I’m not a candidate for absolutely anything. If you look at my agenda, there’s no candidate’s agenda. I’m making extremely technical agendas, those of a governor, not a candidate. […] If I wanted to be a candidate, I would already be visiting municipalities, inaugurating things”, replied the governor.
Castro also states that he will work to ensure that the parties that make up the government remain together in the dispute for his succession.
He says he will be responsible for “pounding the hammer at the end of this game”, but declares that he hopes that the acronyms will find a viable name for the likely dispute with the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, ().
“Our camp will have to be mature to find a candidate, since the camp on the left is leaning towards Eduardo Paes. I’m the one who’s going to hit the hammer at the end of this game. But the camp has to come to an understanding first about who the name is more viable,” he said.
The options cited by Castro are Bacellar, Pampolha, secretary Washington Reis (MDB), deputy dr. Luizinho () and even deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL), whom .
“I have no doubt that our camp together beats anyone on the other side. So, before names, we have to have our camp united. Our united camp has 85 of the 92 mayors, 60% of the State’s votes. So, together we are unbeatable.”
