Brazil Supreme Court sets August 19 hearing on Rio de Janeiro interim governorship election

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) scheduled a hearing for 19 August to decide whether new elections should be held for the interim governor of Rio de Janeiro. The state chapter of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is urging the court to order direct, popular voting, challenging the Superior Electoral Court’s (TSE) decision that the vacancy be filled indirectly by the state legislature (Alerj).

The dispute stems from the resignation of former governor Claudio Castro, who was subsequently declared ineligible by the TSE, the departure of Vice‑Governor Thiago Pampolha to a state audit court, and the removal of former Assembly president Rodrigo Bacellar. Those events led the TSE to decree that an indirect election by the Assembly should appoint a temporary governor until the end of 2026. Currently, Ricardo Couto de Castro, president of the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, is serving as interim governor. The case was paused in April after Justice Flávio Dino requested a view, and it is now back on the STF agenda.