TSE Clears Marcelo Crivella to Run for Senate

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) decided on Thursday by a 4 to 3 vote to maintain the suspension of Marcelo Crivella's ineligibility, clearing the former mayor of Rio de Janeiro to run for the Senate. The decisive vote was cast by TSE President Kassio Nunes Marques, who joined the position of the rapporteur, Minister André Mendonça. Crivella had been declared ineligible for eight years following a conviction for political and economic abuse of power in a case known as the QG da propina. The court's decision focused on maintaining a suspension of the penalty rather than ruling on the merits of Crivella's appeal against the conviction. Ministers André Mendonça, Kassio Nunes Marques, Dias Toffoli, and Antonio Carlos Ferreira voted in favor of the suspension. Ministers Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, Estela Aranha, and Floriano de Azevedo Marques voted against it. The defense argued that the facts of the case were linked to the 2016 election rather than the 2020 election for which Crivella was condemned. Minister Mendonça previously noted that the proximity of the 2026 electoral calendar made the decision urgent to ensure Crivella could participate in the race.