That of the Federal Police against the former governor of , (), this Tuesday (26) worsens the scenario of the articulations of the senator (PL), pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, in his electoral base.
After a series of setbacks since the resignation of the Guanabara Palace in March, Castro’s pre-candidacy is seen by allies as . The fear now is the worsening of the scenario with the contamination of Flávio’s own campaign and his platform in the state, the deputy (PL), president of Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro).
Rio de Janeiro is seen as crucial in the dispute with President Lula (PT). It is the family’s electoral base, where Jair Bolsonaro won in 2018 and 2022 in the state in the presidential disputes. The electoral college in Rio de Janeiro is the third largest in the country.
Castro was the target of an operation this Tuesday that investigates transfers of R$3.7 billion from Rioprevidência, a pension fund for Rio de Janeiro employees, to funds linked to the institution.
The action took place 11 days after another operation against the former governor, to investigate his actions in favor of the Refit group, linked to businessman Ricardo Magro, identified as a persistent tax evader.
Suspicions about Rioprevidência’s investments have been known for a few months and, for sectors of the PL, were priced in at the launch of the pre-candidacy. The concern of allies is with those under the power of the PF who, according to Mendonça, reveal a “close personal bond”.
The fear is that these dialogues could be associated with the audios already released from Flávio to the former banker, worsening the wear and tear on the senator’s presidential pre-candidacy.
For this reason, the scenario is different from last week, when a wing of the PL defended calm and avoided abruptly abandoning the former governor. This group was betting on Castro’s proximity to mayors of Rio de Janeiro and the rise in Castro’s popularity after Operation Containment, in which 117 people were killed by the police in Complexo do Alemão in alleged clashes — five police officers also died.
Castro’s presence in the campaign could also make it difficult for Douglas Ruas’ name to take off, which is still little known to voters. The president of Alerj had been making agendas with the former governor until Operation Sem Refino, about the relationship with Magro. The concern is to damage the deputy’s image during his presentation.
The association between Ruas and Castro has been the motto of the former mayor of Rio de Janeiro’s pre-campaign ().
The difficulties on the Bolsonaro platform in Rio de Janeiro have been going on since last year, when the former president of Alerj Rodrigo Bacellar (União Brasil) was arrested on suspicion of leaking information about an operation against Comando Vermelho. He had established himself as a pre-candidate for government with the support of the Bolsonaro family.
The situation worsened after Castro was condemned to ineligibility at the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) due to hiring canvassers in state public programs, paid for with cash withdrawals.
The power vacuum generated by Castro’s resignation and Bacellar’s arrest led to the ascension of the judge, president of the Court of Justice, to the Guanabara Palace. In addition to losing control of the state machinery, seen as important for the campaign in the state, the PL saw the magistrate begin an investigation into the accounts of the former governor’s administration, generating a new focus of erosion.
Couto’s actions have been criticized by members of the PL. Last week, even President Lula sought to associate himself with the Couto administration, encouraging the interim governor to work for “those who governed this state and deputies who are part of an organized militia”.
The judge, in turn, claims to lead the Executive based on political neutrality.
