Maranhão pre‑governor candidate Orleans Brandão rallies support and selects former São Luís mayor as running mate

Orleans Brandão, a pre‑candidate for governor of Maranhão, held a public meeting in São Raimundo das Mangabeiras on 25 May. The event, organized by the local mayor Accioly Cardoso, drew residents from rural zones and community leaders who praised Brandão’s past work as state secretary of Municipal Affairs and pledged backing for his campaign. Brandão highlighted plans to improve water supply, upgrade road infrastructure and duplicate the highway linking São Raimundo das Mangabeiras to Loreto, as well as to build the region’s first maternity hospital.

In a separate development, former São Luís mayor Edivaldo Holanda Júnior accepted an invitation to become Brandão’s vice‑governor candidate. The alliance, now pending formal party ratification, combines Brandão’s statewide outreach with Holanda Júnior’s strong electoral base in the state capital, where he served two terms as mayor and previously held seats in the federal Chamber of Deputies. The partnership is viewed as a major move in the Maranhão gubernatorial race ahead of the October elections.