TRE-RJ Bars Candidate From Using 'Bolsonaro' as Ballot Name

Overview

• The Tribunal Regional Eleitoral do Rio de Janeiro rejected Renato de Araújo Corrêa’s request to appear on the ballot as “Renato Araújo do Bolsonaro” and directed him to select an alternative ballot name.
• Relator Paulo Cesar Salomão Filho followed the Procuradoria Regional Eleitoral’s opinion that the use of ‘Bolsonaro’ risks creating doubt about the candidate’s identity and could confer an unfair electoral advantage.
• The ruling cited electoral rules that limit ballot names to 30 characters and forbid names that create identity confusion, offend decency, or are ridiculous.
• Renato’s legal team submitted videos and argued his public friendship and proximity to Jair Bolsonaro justify the surname, but the court found personal or political ties do not authorize adding the family name.
• The decision echoes a 2024 TRE-RJ precedent that also denied use of the ‘Bolsonaro’ surname and signals that regional courts are enforcing limits on candidates using high-profile political surnames on ballots.