Anthony Garotinho

He was Governor of Rio de Janeiro from 1999 to 2002 and a federal deputy from 2011 to 2015. He was the Republicanos candidate for Governor of Rio de Janeiro in the 2026 election; courts rejected his registration and the TSE annulled his votes.

Career

Garotinho began as a radio broadcaster and was a state legislator from 1987 to 1989. He was mayor of Campos dos Goytacazes in 1989 to 1992 and 1997 to 1998, state secretary under Leonel Brizola, and Governor of Rio de Janeiro from 1999 to 2002. He ran for president for the PSB in 2002 and came third, then served as state secretary of public security in 2003 and 2004. He was a federal deputy from 2011 to 2015 and finished third in the 2014 governor race. His 2018 governor candidacy was rejected by the electoral courts, and in 2024 he ran unsuccessfully for Rio city council. He has changed party many times and joined Republicanos in 2024. In July 2026 Republicanos chose him as its governor candidate, with former Bope colonel Venâncio Moura as running mate.

Positions

Garotinho's stated priority for 2026 was to free Rio from three criminal groups: drug traffickers, militias and what he calls the criminals of the state assembly (Alerj). He promised occupations of favelas and a "Bope 2.0", according to Gazeta do Povo. Portuguese Wikipedia says he presents himself as heir to Brizola's labour and welfare tradition and that he has built support among evangelicals. Wikipedia lists Republicanos as right-wing, socially conservative and economically liberal.

Controversies

A court convicted Garotinho of administrative improbity over the diversion of public money at the Rio state health department; the Supreme Federal Court confirmed the case and the judgment became final in July 2025, with an eight-year suspension of political rights, according to Congresso em Foco. His defence says the suspension ended in 2026; electoral prosecutors say it runs to 2033. The TRE-RJ rejected his 2026 registration, and on 2 October 2026 a TSE minister revoked the injunction that let him campaign. After the 4 October vote the TSE, by 5 votes to 2, upheld the rejection, annulled his votes and ordered a recount, InvestNews reports.

Summarised automatically from the linked sources. Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (Portuguese) · Gazeta do Povo · Congresso em Foco · Midiamax · InvestNews

Photo: Leonardo Prado/Câmara dos Deputados, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons (cropped)