The (Legislative Assembly of ), state deputy Rodrigo Bacellar (), this Wednesday (3) for burying the original plan of () for the election to the Government of Rio in 2026 and consolidating the current crossroads of the right in the state.
Bacellar was, until July, Castro’s chosen candidate to run. The plan was for the deputy to be the representative of the right, as opposed to the mayor (PSD), who had already entered the dispute.
But, in six months, the president of Alerj went from being a potential competitor, with the support of the machine, to being sidelined and arrested, during this period accumulating disagreements with his supporters, with Castro himself and with the Bolsonaro family, with whom he tried to approach, but was unable to do so.
Bacellar was arrested on suspicion of passing on confidential information about an operation that led to the arrest of then state deputy TH Joias, accused of intermediating Comando Vermelho negotiations.
Politicians from around Castro, heard by the Sheet subject to reservation, they attribute to the governor himself one of the reasons for the lack of definition of a right-wing name in the Rio election.
For them, Castro anticipated the conversation about the election when, in July, and placed confidence in a deputy already seen with reservations by representatives of Bolsonarism, such as senators (PL) and Carlos Portinho (PL) and the leader of the PL in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcante.
Elected deputy in 2018, the deputy was the rapporteur of the impeachment commission in 2020. The revocation of his mandate took Castro, Witzel’s deputy, to the Guanabara Palace.
Bacellar was the governor’s favorite to succeed him. To this end, the head of Palácio Guanabara had removed his vice-president from the political game: Thiago Pampolha, who also wanted to be a candidate for governor, went to the position of advisor at the TCE (State Audit Court). With this, Bacellar, president of Alerj, became second in the government’s line of succession.
Castro’s plan was to leave office by April 2026 to run for . Thus, Bacellar would have six months as governor until October, the month of . But the relationship became conflictual after he took over as governor on an interim basis and, without the approval of the incumbent, who was on a trip to Portugal, from the government, Washington Reis (MDB), due to disagreements.
Flávio considered the dismissal of Reis, an ally of (PL), as an error and asked Castro to renominate him.
The governor returned to Brazil, but the relationship with Bacellar cooled. The deputy started to extend deadlines for projects sent by the Executive to Alerj. Castro made statements that sounded indirect to the deputy.
After the friction, Castro began to rethink his candidacy for the Senate so as not to make room for Bacellar in the government.
President of the state directory of União Brasil, Bacellar, even before his arrest, was considered by his supporters to be out of the dispute. The mayor of Belford Roxo, Márcio Canella (União Brasil), states that he wants to be a candidate, but he is also not seen internally as a potential candidate.
The PP, with whom the , is close to Paes, with positions in the city hall and alliance with deputy Doutor Luizinho (PP-RJ). The PL analyzes names, but has not yet reached a consensus. The mayor is the only name consolidated as a pre-candidate for the government.
The report sought out União Brasil and Bacellar’s advisors, but received no responses.
On Thursday afternoon (4), Castro said in a statement that he is following the facts “with due institutional attention” and that “it is necessary to guarantee the right to due legal process.”
“All clarifications requested by the STF from the Executive have already been responded to, reaffirming our commitment to legality, transparency and the full functioning of institutions.”
