TRE‑SP Upholds Conviction and Keeps Pablo Marçal Ineligible Through 2032

Overview

• The Tribunal Regional Eleitoral de São Paulo denied Marçal’s appeal and on Friday kept the 8‑year inelegibility and the R$420,000 fine for improper use of media in his 2024 São Paulo mayoral campaign.
• The Tribunal Superior Eleitoral issued a unanimous precautionary order on August 20 that bars Marçal from using the electoral and party funds and from taking part in radio and TV campaign slots and debates while his candidacy is examined.
• TRE‑SP found evidence Marçal organized a paid 'campeonato de cortes' that set up a structure to remunerate digital influencers for edited campaign clips, which the court treated as unlawful use of means of social communication.
• The regional tribunal rejected the Ministério Público Eleitoral’s bid to add charges of abuse of economic power and illicit capture or spending because it said the record lacks unequivocal proof of cash prize payments and appellate rules bar re‑examining evidence at this stage.
• Marçal’s campaign says its lawyers are reviewing the decisions and further moves may include appeals to the TSE, which must still rule on his formal registration and whose interim measures leave his campaign without public funding or guaranteed broadcast visibility.