Electoral Court may bar taking office of 10 elected politicians over organised crime links
The Superior Electoral Court is examining cases of elected candidates investigated for connections with criminal organisations, including a deputy held in preventive detention.
Ten elected officials at risk of not taking office in 2027
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) may prevent ten candidates elected in the 2026 elections from assuming their mandates in the following year, according to reporting by apublica.org. All are under investigation for alleged links with criminal organisations.
Among the ten, two had their candidacies challenged by the Electoral Public Ministry (MPE) and subsequently upheld by state electoral authorities: Ney Santos (Republicans), former mayor of Embu das Artes (SP), candidate for federal deputy, and Márcio Canella (União), former mayor of Belford Roxo (RJ), candidate for state deputy.
Six other candidates — five in Rio de Janeiro and one in Mato Grosso do Sul — had their registrations rejected by regional electoral authorities, appealed to the TSE and were able to run under a "sub judice" regime. The MPE maintains, in eight proceedings, that the candidacies should be definitively challenged.
The two remaining cases involve elected federal deputies Antonio Rueda (União/RJ) and Márcio Rezende (PSD/RJ). Both had their registrations approved by regional electoral courts but were contested by third parties directly at the TSE.
The universe of candidates challenged in 2026
Throughout the 2026 electoral cycle, the MPE challenged 42 candidacies across ten states for links with criminal organisations. Of the total, 22 candidates had their registrations barred by electoral authorities or withdrew from the race.
Of the candidacies contested by the MPE at the TSE for having been cleared by electoral authorities, two failed to secure sufficient votes to be elected. One of them is that of Cristiane Brasil (DC/RJ), daughter of former federal deputy Roberto Jefferson, who obtained 237 votes in an attempt to return to the Chamber of Deputies. The other case is under seal.
Canella: detained, elected and under investigation by Federal Police
The most emblematic case is that of Márcio Canella, held in preventive detention since 15 October. The state deputy, seeking re-election, was the second most voted candidate in Rio de Janeiro in 2026, with nearly 200,000 votes.
Canella is under investigation in Operation Nail and Meat, conducted by the Federal Police, on suspicion of being part of an armed criminal organisation that allegedly used a network of fuel stations in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro for money laundering, moving billions of reais. The Electoral Ministry also points to him as responsible for opening the Belford Roxo municipal government to the militia "We Are Community", which allegedly had an agreement with Red Command, with alleged members of the armed group appointed to positions in the municipality.
In July this year, Canella was arrested with a rifle in his car. He stated that the weapon belonged to a military police officer who was part of his personal security. The incident led to the collapse of his pre-candidacy for the Senate, which had the support of Flávio Bolsonaro — Rogéria Bolsonaro would have been his running mate. The politician then opted for re-election to the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj).
Nevertheless, the Rio de Janeiro Regional Electoral Court approved Canella's registration by 6 votes to 1, on 29 September, two weeks before he was arrested again. The judges understood that the elements presented by the MP regarding the candidate's relations with militias were not sufficiently robust.
Should he remain detained and the TSE confirm his candidacy, Canella could receive his elected certificate by proxy — a measure permitted by law. At his swearing-in, if confirmed, he could not be present in person, but the oath book could be taken to him in prison. The procedure has already been adopted with five deputies detained in Operation Furna da Onça, elected in 2018.
Ney Santos and suspicions of money laundering by the PCC
In São Paulo, the State Public Ministry and Electoral Public Ministry maintain that Ney Santos used fuel stations to launder money from PCC crimes. Santos, who has previously been imprisoned for armoured car robbery, was mayor of Embu das Artes for two terms between 2017 and 2024, and his activities have been investigated by the Public Ministry for years.
In the hearing at the São Paulo Regional Electoral Court, Santos had his candidacy approved by 3 votes to 2. The MPE appealed, and the case is awaiting analysis at the TSE under the rapporteurship of minister Floriano de Azevedo Marques. At the polls, Santos was elected federal deputy with 118,566 votes and, if nothing changes by December, he will be issued his certificate.
In his defence, Santos alleges that the accusations are repetitions of old charges. His lawyers submitted dozens of news articles and data on public security indicators in Embu das Artes to the proceedings, arguing that the candidate's management would have reduced crime in the municipality.
The six "sub judice" cases in Rio and Mato Grosso do Sul
In the remaining six proceedings, the MPE's strategy is to maintain at the TSE the decisions of regional courts that have already rejected the registrations. The candidates involved are: Jamilson Name (PP/MS), Diego Alba (PSDB/RJ), João Drumond (PRD/RJ), Renato Machado (PT/RJ) and Val Ceasa (PRD/RJ), candidates for state deputy, as well as Ricardo Abrão (PSDB/RJ), candidate for federal deputy. Together, the six received nearly 300,000 votes.
As the cases had not been concluded when the polls were held, all ran as "sub judice" candidates — aware that electoral authorities could bar them at any moment during or after the race.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo