With Cláudio Castro, and the vote on Tuesday (24), in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the question remains: who will govern the state of RJ?
With Castro’s departure, the person taking over the state on an interim basis is the president of the Court of Justice of Rio, judge Ricardo Couto. This situation occurs because the lieutenant governorThiago Pampolha, who took up a position at the State Court of Auditors (TCE-RJ) came out in 2025 and the President of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj), Rodrigo Bacellar (União), also became ineligible after voting in the TSE.
Before Tuesday’s vote, Bacellar had renewed the request for leave of absence. He had not held the position since December 10th of last year, because he left the Federal Police (PF) on December 3rd.
The parliamentarian would have leaked confidential information about the investigation against former state deputy Thiego Raimundo dos Santos Silva, known as TH Joias, accused of intermediating the purchase and sale of weapons for the Red Command (CV), the main criminal faction in Rio de Janeiro.
Messages intercepted by investigators supported the decision of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to arrest and remove Bacellar from the presidency of Alerj.
By legislation, the president of the TJRJ should organize an indirect election in two days so that the 70 state deputies choose within 30 days one appointed to command the government during a buffer termuntil the choice of the next governor in the October elections.
Ineligible
The TSE voted on Tuesday to make Cláudio Castro ineligible for 8 years. The score was 5 to 2 for conviction. He is accused of abuse of political and economic power in the 2022 elections. With the majority, the former governor of Rio de Janeiro is ineligible until 2030, which prevents him from running for the Senate in this year’s elections.
Ministers Estela Aranha, Isabel Gallotti, Cármen Lúcia and ministers Floriano de Azevedo Marques and Antônio Carlos Ferreira voted in favor. You Ministers Kássio Nunes Marques and André Mendonça disagreed and voted to acquit Castro. Nunes Marques understood that not enough evidence was presented for the conviction. André Mendonça understood that the practice of abuse of political and economic power was proven, but considered that there is not enough evidence about the former governor’s participation in the scheme.
The minister voted to declare the ineligibility of only Rodrigo Bacellar.
‘Nonconformity’
Castro used social media to comment on the TSE’s decision. He says he received the news with ‘nonconformity’ and that he is fully convinced that he has always governed Rio de Janeiro within the law “with responsibility and absolute commitment to the population”. “Today, it goes against the sovereign will of the almost 5 million voters in Rio,” he wrote.
I am fully convinced that I have always governed Rio de Janeiro within the law, with responsibility and absolute commitment to the population.
I receive with great discontent the decision that, today, goes against the sovereign will of the almost 5 million voters in Rio de Janeiro (…)
— Cláudio Castro (@claudiocastroRJ)
*With information from Agência Brasil
