TSE restores Deputy Paulão's mandate in Chamber of Deputies

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) has unanimously decided to restore the federal mandate of Deputy Paulo Fernando dos Santos, known as Paulão (PT-AL), to the Chamber of Deputies. The ruling annuls a previous decision by the Regional Electoral Court of Alagoas (TRE-AL) that had resulted in his removal from office.

The TSE, under the rapporteurship of Minister Dias Toffoli, identified a decisive procedural error: Paulão had not participated in the legal action that led to the redistribution of seats for the Alagoas delegation. This omission violated his right to an adversarial process and a full defense.

The previous TRE-AL decision had ordered a recalculation of the 2022 election votes, which caused Paulão to lose his seat to Nivaldo Albuquerque (União Brasil). With this new ruling, the seat returns to the PT representative. The decision must now be formally communicated to the Chamber of Deputies to facilitate his administrative reinstatement.