Maricá Mayor Washington Quaquá announces government changes

Maricá Mayor Washington Quaquá has announced administrative changes following the first round of the 2026 elections. A key appointment is the return of Celso Pansera, who will serve as the Mayor's Chief of Staff.

Pansera previously held leadership roles in Maricá, including serving as the first president of the Institute of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Maricá (ICTIM) and later as president of the Maricá Development Company (Codemar). He had recently left local administration to run for federal deputy but was not elected.

In a separate political assessment, Quaquá, who also serves as a national vice-president of the Workers' Party (PT), criticized the electoral defeat of Benedita da Silva in the Rio de Janeiro Senate race. Quaquá argued that the loss was due to a failure to form alliances with centrist parties, suggesting that a broader coalition could have secured a victory.