Rio de Janeiro political succession and administration

Rio de Janeiro has entered a period of political and administrative transition following the ineligibility of former governor Claudio Castro. The state faced a succession crisis as previous successors were removed or moved to other posts, leaving Ricardo Couto de Castro, President of the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, to serve as interim governor.

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) postponed a ruling to determine whether the interim governor should be chosen through direct elections or via the State Legislative Assembly (Alerj). This legal delay occurred as the court prioritized other legislative discussions.

During his interim tenure, Governor Ricardo Couto has initiated administrative reforms to rationalize the state’s executive structure. He signed a decree to abolish 1,050 vacant commissioned positions, marking the first phase of an reorganization plan led by the State Secretariat of the Civil House.

The initiative specifically targets low-value positions, often referred to as ‘puxadinhos,’ which were created by subdividing larger structures in previous administrations. Some of these roles carried symbolic monthly gratifications of only R$ 20, but allowed appointees to reach a total remuneration of at least one minimum wage, thereby increasing state costs.

The abolition does not affect current employees. The largest reductions occurred in the Secretariat of the Civil House (369 positions), the Secretariat of Government (77), and the Secretariat of Social Interest Housing (64). A second phase of the plan will focus on consolidating information regarding all vacant commissioned positions to create a unified view of the Executive structure.