TSE Sets Nov. 4 Trial That Could Strip Rio Governor Cláudio Castro of Mandate

Overview

• The electoral court will hear a case on Tuesday that could remove Cláudio Castro from office and declare him ineligible, with Assembly president Rodrigo Bacellar also facing judgment.
• Castro’s camp is pressing for a request for review by Kassio Nunes Marques that would halt the case for 60 days, potentially moving a final decision to February 2026.
• The appeal centers on accusations that UERJ and Ceperj were used in 2022 to fund campaign workers through more than 20,000 temporary hires and large cash withdrawals; the defendants deny wrongdoing.
• The TRE-RJ acquitted the group by 4–3 in May 2024, the Ministério Público Eleitoral appealed, and relator Isabel Gallotti sought a prompt ruling before leaving the TSE on November 21, with the federal electoral prosecutor previously backing cassation.
• The session comes as Rio reels from a police operation with over 120 deaths, and Castro is due to provide information at the Supreme Court to Alexandre de Moraes one day before the TSE hearing, while allies allege political timing.