BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Key Facts
—Who. The PSD party and Supreme Court justice Cristiano Zanin, who handles the case.
—What. A lawsuit to restore a second round in the Rio governor election.
—Count. After the TSE ruling, Douglas Ruas of the PL has 50.88% of valid votes.
—Status. We found no ruling by Zanin yet.
—Power Index. Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 74.2 points (November 2026 edition).
As of 10 November 2026, 23:00 GMT.
Rio de Janeiro’s governor was decided in one round only after a rival’s votes were thrown out. The runner-up’s party now wants the Supreme Court to bring back a runoff.
Brazil’s PSD party is asking the Supreme Court to bring back a second round in the Rio de Janeiro governor election, a case now with justice Cristiano Zanin. The party filed the lawsuit on 14 October 2026, and we found no ruling by Zanin yet.
Zanin is the rapporteur, the judge assigned to the case. The PSD’s candidate was Eduardo Paes.
How the Race Turned
On 8 October the TSE upheld the rejection of Anthony Garotinho’s candidacy and annulled his 274,411 votes. The recalculation of valid votes then raised Douglas Ruas, the PL’s candidate, from 49.27% to 50.88%.
That is above the 50% needed to win in the first round. Paes, the PSD’s candidate, finished second.
The PSD’s Argument
The PSD says Garotinho’s votes should stay in the base used to calculate the absolute majority, because his name was on the ballot. The TSE decided the opposite.
What It Means for You
Rio is Brazil’s second-largest city and a hub for oil and tourism, so who governs matters for business. Residents and visitors face no change until the court rules.
What Is Not Known
No date has been set for Zanin’s decision, and no runoff date exists. Details of any recent hearings in the case were not available to us.
Related reading: Rio de Janeiro Daily Brief. More coverage is on our Brazil news page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the PSD want?
It wants the Supreme Court to restore a second round in Rio de Janeiro’s governor election.
Why was there no runoff?
After votes for Anthony Garotinho were annulled, a recalculation put Douglas Ruas above 50% of valid votes.
Who is Cristiano Zanin?
He is the Supreme Court justice assigned to the case.
When will the court decide?
No date has been announced.
Sources: Supreme Federal Court (STF) · Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
In depth
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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