TSE Nullifies Garotinho Votes, Handing Rio Governorship to Douglas Ruas

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) formed a majority on Thursday, October 8, 2026, to nullify the 274,411 votes cast for former Governor Anthony Garotinho in Rio de Janeiro’s gubernatorial race. The decision by the country's top electoral authority alters the political map of Brazil’s second-most important state economy by canceling the scheduled October 25 runoff and handing an immediate, first-round victory to right-wing candidate Douglas Ruas of the Liberal Party (PL).

The legal battle stems from the October 4 first-round election, where Ruas, the president of the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj), finished with 49.27% of the valid vote. Current Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD), trailed in second with 42.76%. Because no candidate initially cleared the 50% threshold required for an outright victory, the state was preparing for a highly polarized runoff.

However, Garotinho, a veteran populist who served as Rio's governor from 1999 to 2002, ran sub judice—meaning his candidacy was under legal challenge—and captured 3.17% of the vote. The regional electoral court had previously barred Garotinho due to a past conviction for administrative improbability involving the diversion of public healthcare funds. Because the regional ruling occurred after the electronic voting machines were programmed, his name still appeared on the ballot. Following the election, Garotinho withdrew his pending appeal, prompting the TSE to review the status of his votes.

By formalizing the nullification of Garotinho's votes, the TSE excluded them from the official tally of valid votes. Under Brazilian electoral rules, this recalculation pushed Ruas’s share of the valid vote to 50.88%, past the majority threshold needed to secure the governorship without a second-round vote. The ruling marks a major triumph for the PL, the conservative party of former President Jair Bolsonaro, and cements its control over Rio de Janeiro, a key political and economic battleground.

The decision brings an abrupt end to a tense political transition in Rio de Janeiro, which has been marked by leadership instability since the departure of former Governor Cláudio Castro in March. Ruas will now prepare to take office as governor, while Paes will remain in his post as mayor of the state's capital city.