Rio Governor Cláudio Castro Resigns Ahead of TSE Ruling
Rio de Janeiro Governor Cláudio Castro resigned from his position Monday evening, during a ceremony at the Palácio Guanabara, in anticipation of a crucial Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE) ruling that could render him ineligible for office. The resignation, reported by multiple Brazilian news outlets including Estadão and Jornal GGN, comes one day before the TSE is scheduled to resume deliberations on allegations of abuse of political and economic power during the 2022 general elections.
Castro, of the Liberal Party (PL), addressed supporters, expressing gratitude for their support and offering a defense of his administration. “There may have been a lack of accuracy, but there was never a lack of willingness to gain it right,” he stated before concluding his remarks without taking questions from the press. The TSE initiated the judgment of appeals seeking Castro’s removal in November 2025, following accusations of irregularities in the 2022 election cycle.
With Castro’s departure, Ricardo Couto, the president of the Tribunal de Justiça do Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ), has assumed the governorship. This transition occurs as the state lacks a lieutenant governor and the president of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) is currently recused. Couto’s primary task will be to organize indirect elections within 30 days to select a successor who will serve a transitional mandate until the conclude of 2026.
The case against Castro centers on allegations of misuse of state resources and illicit campaign financing. The Public Prosecutor’s Office alleges irregularities in the hiring of approximately 27,000 individuals through the Fundação Ceperj and the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), a scheme dubbed “folhas secretas” (secret payrolls). Approximately R$248 million in cash was reportedly disbursed to these employees without transparency, according to Jornal GGN. Prior to his resignation, Castro had already signaled his intention to run for Senate, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to circumvent potential ineligibility stemming from the TSE ruling.
The current vote count at the TSE stands at 2-0 in favor of condemning Castro for abuse of power, with the judgment paused due to a request for further consideration from Minister Kassio Nunes Marques. Castro’s vice governor, Thiago Pampolha, previously resigned in 2025 to assume a position on the Tribunal de Contas do Estado (TCE-RJ), further complicating the succession process. Former Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes criticized Castro’s resignation as an attempt to “flee justice,” alleging disrespect for the legal process and the crimes committed.
The TSE is scheduled to resume its deliberations on the case Tuesday, with the outcome potentially reshaping the political landscape of Rio de Janeiro and determining Castro’s future in Brazilian politics.