Brazil judges end Rio runoff, sparking Supreme Court challenge

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court voted 5-2 to annul former Governor Anthony Garotinho's 274,411 votes from Rio de Janeiro's gubernatorial race, pushing Douglas Ruas, backed by presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, over 50% and eliminating the scheduled Oct. 25 runoff against Eduardo Paes, who is backed by President Lula. Garotinho had been barred from running over a suspended-rights conviction but stayed on the ballot pending appeal, then tried to withdraw his appeal after finishing third; the court rejected that withdrawal and voided his votes anyway.

Two dissenting justices argued that annulling votes after the election restricts voter participation. If the ruling stands, Ruas will take office in January while under investigation for embezzlement, money laundering, organized crime, and procurement offenses, with proceedings sealed in state court.

Legal experts quoted noted the regional electoral court could have resolved Garotinho's eligibility 25 days earlier, before the vote, avoiding the current mess; Paes's coalition says it will appeal to the Supreme Court, which generally defers to electoral rulings but faces a hard deadline since voting machines can no longer be reconfigured for a runoff.

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