Elmano de Freitas and Ciro Gomes clash in Ceará debate

During a televised debate for the governorship of Ceará, incumbent Governor Elmano de Freitas and challenger Ciro Gomes engaged in a heated exchange regarding public security and historical crime trends.

Elmano de Freitas accused Ciro Gomes of allowing the criminal organization Comando Vermelho to ‘plant the seed’ in the state during Gomes's tenure as governor in 1993. Elmano defended his administration's security policies, citing the incarceration of approximately 5,000 faction members in 2025 and the disruption of 3.3 billion reais in criminal financial operations.

Ciro Gomes countered by criticizing Elmano's human resources management within the military police, questioning salary structures and the lack of public examinations for delegates between 2015 and 2025. Political analysts noted that while expectations for Gomes were high due to his oratorical reputation, he appeared hesitant and provided imprecise data, whereas Elmano adopted a more aggressive and incisive stance as the debate progressed.