TRE-RS cassates mayor and vice-mayor of Arroio do Sal

The Regional Electoral Court of Rio Grande do Sul (TRE-RS) has unanimously decided to cassate the diplomas of the mayor of Arroio do Sal, Luciano Pinto da Silva, and his vice-mayor, Valdir Cenci. The decision follows the recognition of economic power abuse, as well as the illicit capture and expenditure of resources during the 2024 municipal elections.

As a result of the ruling, Luciano Pinto da Silva and Marcus Vinícius de Souza Viana have been declared ineligible for office for eight years. The court also ordered the cassation of councilman Jucilei Pereira da Silva. Once the period for appeals is exhausted, the local Electoral Zone will remove the executives from office, install the president of the City Council as interim leader, and call for new majority elections in the municipality.

Separately, the TRE-RS is working to strengthen its institutional communication and combat disinformation. The court has established new commissions and a specialized Secretariat to manage digital communication and address challenges posed by social media and artificial intelligence in preparation for future electoral cycles.