Brazil Prosecutor Targets Canella Candidacy
BRAZIL · POLITICS
Key Facts
- The country Brazil is South America’s largest country, with about 215 million people, and it holds a presidential runoff on Sunday 25 October 2026.
- What happened The Electoral Prosecutor asked the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Friday 23 October 2026 to reject the Márcio Canella TSE candidacy.
- Who he is Canella is a former mayor elected a Rio de Janeiro state deputy on 4 October with 197,178 votes.
- The basis The prosecutor alleges ties to militia leaders and points to Article 17 of the Constitution, which bars parties from using paramilitary groups.
- The next step The TSE must decide whether to uphold or overturn the Rio regional court’s decision that cleared his registration, and no date is set.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
Brazil Runoff 2026: Lula vs Flávio
Date, polls, debates, odds and how the runoff works, updated every day.
Read our Brazil election 2026 runoff guide →
Brazil election 2026 · Brazil election polls · Who will win: Brazil election odds · Brazil runoff date and results start · Brazil election results · Brazil election poll data (CSV) · All election stories
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 83.5% · Lula 16.5% (US$195 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 84% · Lula 16%
As of 24 October, 1:40 pm ET (18:40 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Brazil’s Electoral Prosecutor asked the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to reject the Canella candidacy over alleged militia ties. Márcio Canella is a Rio de Janeiro state deputy-elect, and the request is separate from the Brazil election 2026 runoff.
The filing does not change the Brazil runoff date, and our Brazil election polls and Brazil election odds cover the presidential race. Every allegation below is the prosecutor’s, as reported by Brazilian outlets, and none has been tested at trial.
The Márcio Canella TSE Candidacy Filing
Alexandre Espinosa, the deputy electoral prosecutor general, signed the opinion on Friday 23 October 2026, Metrópoles and Gazeta do Povo report. The TSE is Brazil’s highest electoral court, and it decides disputes over who may hold office.
The prosecutor wants the Canella candidacy barred and an appeal against the clearing decision accepted, Gazeta do Povo reports. Cidade de Niterói stresses that the request is not a ruling by the TSE.
Espinosa argues that a missing criminal conviction does not stop the court from finding an impediment, Gazeta do Povo says. He says the evidence need only be strong enough to show a link between the candidate and militiamen.
Who Márcio Canella Is
Canella is a former mayor of Belford Roxo, a city in Rio’s Baixada Fluminense belt, and a former Rio state assembly (Alerj) member. O Antagonista and Agenda do Poder say he belongs to União Brasil and won 197,178 votes in the 4 October election, the second-highest total.
Federal Police arrested him on Thursday 15 October in a fuel-station laundering case, as our report on the Canella arrest shows. He was also arrested in July, when a rifle was found in his car and, Agenda do Poder says, he said it was not his.
What the Prosecutor Alleges
Militias are armed groups, often built around current or former police officers, that control parts of Rio de Janeiro and charge residents for protection. The Comando Vermelho (Red Command) is one of the city’s largest drug gangs.
The opinion says Canella kept the wife of a Bonde do Jura militia leader in his assembly office until 2023, Metrópoles reports. As mayor in 2025 he named two people the opinion describes as militia leaders to municipal secretariats.
According to the opinion, one had already been convicted of forming a militia, and the other faced extortion and weapons charges and was later convicted. Gazeta do Povo adds that the opinion says the Electoral Court had annulled both men’s 2024 candidacies over organised-crime ties.
The opinion says both men took part in the 2026 campaign and that Canella acted as a political organiser for an armed criminal group. It also points to suspected informal deals with the Comando Vermelho during Operation Barricada Zero, O Antagonista reports.
The Police Case Behind the Request
The evidence comes from a Supreme Court inquiry that was under seal when the Rio regional court cleared Canella, the prosecutor says. The seal was lifted in October, after his arrest.
Federal Police say the scheme moved R$7.6 billion (about US$1.51 billion) through 96 fuel stations in six years, Diário do Nordeste reports. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorised six arrest warrants and 16 search warrants, and 112 companies were suspended.
In July police seized R$919,000 (about US$182,000) in cash and some US dollars at addresses tied to Canella, Metrópoles reports. Canella said the rifle was not his, Agenda do Poder says, and his defence has not been quoted on the new filing.
What Happens Next at the TSE
The TSE must now rule on the prosecutor’s request and on the appeal against the regional court’s decision, Gazeta do Povo says. Until it does, the regional court’s clearance of the Canella candidacy stands, and no judge or date has been named.
Our explainer on how Brazil’s electoral courts vet candidates for criminal ties sets out how such cases move through the system. Our earlier report on candidates flagged for crime links shows Canella was one of three flagged candidates who won.
A Second Filing on Bank Secrecy
The same prosecutor asked the TSE to end a case on opening the bank and phone records of Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, Jovem Pan reports. Espinosa wrote that no strictly electoral matter is at stake, and O Antagonista says the opinion went to Justice André Mendonça, who handles the case.
Mendonça said on Thursday 22 October that candidates need no court permission to publish their data, Jovem Pan reports. O Antagonista adds that he wrote the TSE does not police challenges made in debates.
What It Means for US Readers
The Canella candidacy case concerns a Rio state assembly seat, so it does not change the 25 October presidential vote. It shows how Brazil’s electoral prosecutors now use police findings against candidates with alleged criminal ties.
US investors should watch the TSE ruling on the Canella candidacy, because it shows how far courts go against candidates tied to organised crime. No listed company is named as involved in the filing.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when the TSE will rule on the Canella candidacy or which judge will lead the case. No statement from Canella or his lawyers on the filing has been reported.
No court has found that Canella belongs to a militia or a criminal group, and the prosecutor’s opinion is an argument, not a verdict. The TSE’s decision on the Canella candidacy could affect whether he takes his seat in the state assembly.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Electoral Prosecutor ask the TSE to do?
Deputy electoral prosecutor general Alexandre Espinosa asked the TSE on Friday 23 October 2026 to reject the Márcio Canella TSE candidacy. He also asked the court to accept an appeal against the regional court’s decision that cleared it.
Which office did Márcio Canella run for?
Canella ran for state deputy in the Rio de Janeiro state assembly and won 197,178 votes on 4 October, the second-highest total. He belongs to the União Brasil party and is a former mayor of Belford Roxo.
What is the legal basis for the request?
The prosecutor cites Article 17 of the Constitution, which bars parties from using paramilitary groups, and TSE case law on candidates tied to militias. He argues that no final conviction is needed to find an impediment.
Has the TSE decided anything yet?
No. The prosecutor’s opinion is a request, so the court has yet to rule. No TSE ruling or hearing date has been reported.
Does this affect the 25 October runoff?
No. The filing concerns a Rio state assembly seat only. The runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro is set for 25 October.
Sources: Metrópoles, 24 October 2026; Gazeta do Povo, 24 October 2026; Cidade de Niterói, 24 October 2026; O Antagonista, 24 October 2026; Agenda do Poder, 24 October 2026; Jovem Pan, 24 October 2026; O Antagonista (bank secrecy case), 24 October 2026; Diário do Nordeste, 15 October 2026; Brasil de Fato, 8 July 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief