Mayor admits, for the first time, his intention to contest the Guanabara Palace and intensifies agendas in the interior of the state; Renunciation of the municipal mandate must occur by April 2026
The mayor of , (PSD), declared, for the first time, that he was in a pre-campaign for the state government. The statement occurred during an agenda in the municipality of Santo Antônio de Pádua, in Northwest Fluminense. Although he has been acting with an electoral tone for eight months and admitted in October the possibility of leaving city hall, Paes had denied, during the 2024 municipal election, that he would leave the position before the end of his term.
In a video released by the profile “nabocadopovo.rj”alongside the mayor of Santo Antônio de Pádua, Paulinho da Refrigeração (MDB), Paes was direct about his intentions. “It’s a lie, I’m not doing the work of visiting cities in the interior. I’m doing pre-campaign, because I want the votes for governor and I want Paulinho’s support. That’s it, I said it,” he said.
The mayor’s strategy involves intensifying visits to regions where there is greater electoral fragility, such as Baixada Fluminense and the interior of the state. On the trip to the north and northwest of Rio de Janeiro, Paes visited five municipalities and held meetings with businesspeople and authorities. In addition, it has held meetings with potential allies in Gávea Pequena, the city hall’s official residence.
Election deadline
To run for state executive in 2026, Paes must resign as mayor by the beginning of April of that year. In this scenario, the person who takes over the administration of the capital is vice-mayor Eduardo Cavaliere (PSD). At 31 years old, Cavaliere would be the youngest mayor to take office in Rio. Paes has already praised his vice president when commenting on his possible resignation. Recently, Cavaliere gained prominence when he criticized the federal government’s stance in relation to Operation Containment, aimed at combating .
If he takes over as mayor of RJ, Eduardo Cavaliere (PSD) would be the youngest to take over the municipal government
This will be Eduardo Paes’ third attempt to reach the Guanabara Palace; he ran in 2006 and in 2018, when he was defeated in the second round by .
The arrangements for 2026 also involve the dispute over . The PSD is working with the pre-candidacy of federal deputy Pedro Paulo, although Paes has already signaled support for federal deputy Benedita da Silva (PT-RJ). The electoral framework underwent changes after the launch of the senator (PL-RJ) to the presidency by the former president. The current governor, (PL), is leading the polls for one of the Senate seats.
