The interim governor of , judge Ricardo Couto de Castro, said this Monday (23) to Sheet that a president of the Court of Justice “is not prepared to be governor”.
Couto de Castro, president of TJ-RJ, temporarily took over the state government this Monday after the resignation of () from the position, who will compete for a seat in the Senate in October.
“A court president is not prepared to be the governor of the state. He will take on emergency, specific, temporary situations to make this transition,” he said.
The judge still does not know how long he will command the Guanabara Palace. He can remain in office until the indirect election for the buffer mandate, to be held in one month, or leave beforehand, if (União), president removed from Alerj (Rio de Janeiro), leaves the post due to resignation or impeachment by the TSE.
There is also the possibility that the TSE will disregard Castro’s resignation and impeach him, which could lead to a direct election, by popular vote, for the buffer mandate.
In a brief interview with Sheetthe interim governor did not want to comment on the confusing political-legal scenario that Rio de Janeiro is experiencing. When asked about the topic, he simply replied: “The president of the court has a more rigid view of things. It is a more legalistic view.”
For him, the elected governor has a broader vision than a magistrate, more focused on the internal organization of the court.
“The governor has to look at his own and essential activities such as education, security, but he also has to have an idea of how the state is in structural terms to avoid negative situations. For example, he has to know how the state is in terms of infrastructure. If there is rain, if there is something that overloads several points, this could have some consequences and mean that the governor has to be present.”
Considered a technical and discreet magistrate, Couto de Castro was acting governor for ten days, between January 28 and February 6, when the former governor participated in an official trip to Europe. During the period, the only act he signed was the decree of an optional point at Carnival.
Deputies are moving to reduce the judge’s time at the Guanabara Palace — a desire also of the interim judge himself.
The agreement provides for the election of a new president of Alerj through the resignation of Bacellar, still under negotiation, or in the event of his impeachment by the TSE. The choice takes the head of the Assembly to the Guanabara Palace to conduct the indirect election of the buffer governor.
The rise of the president of the TJ-RJ to command the state is due to the disintegration of the chain that began in May, when Cláudio Castro convinced the former vice-governor Thiago Pampolha to leave his position to (State Audit Court) in order to make room for Bacellar, at the time president of the Assembly.
The design predicted Castro’s resignation to run for the Senate. Under the plan, Bacellar would be chosen by Alerj, where he had broad support, in an indirect election as a “buffer governor” to run for re-election in October.
The plan fell apart when Bacellar was arrested and removed from office by order of minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the (Supreme Federal Court), under suspicion of leaking information about the operation, linked to Comando Vermelho. He denies it.
Bacellar was replaced by Guilherme Delaroli (PL) in command of the Assembly. As he is interim, he cannot take over the state government in the event of vacancy in the positions of governor and deputy.
