Witzel Declares Return to Run for Rio Governor

Overview

• Witzel announced his pre-candidacy for governor on Monday, June 8, 2026, formalizing the launch at the Democrata state headquarters in Rio and unveiling a law-and-order campaign message.
• He remains officially ineligible under the 2021 Tribunal Especial Misto impeachment that imposed a five-year ban on holding public office.
• The campaign circulated a TRF-2 certificate saying there are no federal cases against him in that regional court, but the document covers only TRF-2 records and does not annul the state-level TEM decision.
• Witzel presented concrete proposals that include a 'tolerância zero' security policy, 100 cívico-military schools, a State Secretariat of Chaplaincy, and measures to value public servants.
• The launch revives attention to MPF allegations of diversion of pandemic health funds that led to his 2021 removal and could reshape the 2026 Rio race by splitting right-leaning, law-and-order voters and inviting fresh legal and political challenges.