TSE Sets Nov. 4 Trial of Castro and Bacellar in Ceperj Case With Mandates at Stake

Overview

• Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court scheduled the hearing for November 4 under rapporteur Isabel Gallotti, with a panel that includes Cármen Lúcia, Nunes Marques, André Mendonça, Antonio Carlos Ferreira, Floriano de Azevedo Marques and Estela Aranha.
• Prosecutors allege abuse of political and economic power through the hiring of Ceperj workers who allegedly acted as campaign operatives in 2022, with payments via RPAs and reported use of Uerj.
• Castro and Bacellar were acquitted by the Rio regional court in 2024 by a 4–3 vote, the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office appealed to the TSE, and both defendants deny wrongdoing.
• A conviction could result in cassação and inelegibility; if both offices are vacated, TJ-RJ president Ricardo Couto de Castro would assume the governorship until a supplementary election.
• Reporting highlights a dispute over direct versus indirect replacement elections, with precedent favoring a direct statewide vote, and the decision could reshape 2026 strategies for figures such as Eduardo Paes and Flávio Bolsonaro.