The Regional Electoral Court of Rio de Janeiro (TRE-RJ) annulled the votes that the Liberal Party (PL) received in the municipality of Silva Jardim (RJ) in the election for councilors in 2020, for fraud to the gender quota. According to electoral rules, parties must allocate at least 30% of candidacies, in proportional disputes, to women.
The municipality, with 21,700 inhabitants, is located in the coastal lowlands of Rio de Janeiro. According to TRE data, in 2020 the city had 19,503 eligible voters and turnout was 78.1%.
The decision of the TRE-RJ collegiate was taken at the session on Tuesday (18), unanimously, and annulled all the candidacy records presented by the PL and, consequently, all the votes received. In all, the party launched 13 candidacies for the position of councilor in Silva Jardim in 2020, four of them women. The three least voted in the legend were women, who received four, 11 and 65 votes.
As a result, the four parliamentarians elected by the party in 2020 had their diplomas revoked. At the time, the PL received a total of 2,910 votes for councilor and the City Council has nine seats. There is still an appeal to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
Thus, councilors Fernando Henrique da Silva Freire, known as Henrique Gouveia; Cláudio Campos de Moura, known as Claudinho de Ivo; Marcelo Araújo de Souza, aka Marcelinho Pedreiro; and Lies Abrantes Abibe, had their diplomas revoked. The electoral and party quotients will be recalculated to exclude those that were annulled from the universe of valid votes.
According to the vote of the rapporteur, Electoral Judge Alessandra Bilac, the municipal directory of the PL in Silva Jardim would have required registration of a candidate, “only to guarantee compliance, merely formally, with the minimum gender quota and succeed in obtaining the registration of candidates male in the electoral contest”.
The judge points out that, in addition to the inexpressive vote, a PL candidate received campaign graphic materials and did not prove their use, did not perform campaign acts, did electoral propaganda on social networks for other candidates and presented standardized accountability and without financial movement. .
THE Brazil Agency tries to contact the regional of the legend to obtain a position on the decision of the TRE-RJ.
councilors
In yesterday’s ordinary session (19) of the Silva Jardim City Council, the impeached councilors spoke. Marcelinho Pedreiro defended himself by saying that he did not use party resources in the campaign.
“I didn’t cower, I went to the end. Here is the result: they canceled our mandate. I’m thrilled not because I’m losing my mandate, but because I’ve honored my word. I’m going to leave with my head on my feet and I’m going to come back even stronger. We fight all the time, we don’t shut up, even though we know they could revoke our mandate, because if we shut up, nobody tries to take us away”.
Henrique Gouveia, current vice-president of the Chamber, also stated that he did not receive funds from the party for the campaign, made with his own resources and donations from friends.
“We worked hard for over a year. But I also came across a dirty, corrupt system, the pat on the back system. Today there are four councilors convicted who have not committed any crime. Was our crime taking care of our campaign?” he asked.
Very moved, Lies Abrantes Abibe explained the functioning of the law that created the gender quota and thanked his colleagues for supporting the work done.
“I wish the Executive power luck, mayor [Maíra Branco Monteiro] and everyone who makes up the Executive power, and I wish luck to those who will enter this house. Being a councilor in Silva Jardim is not easy. Treat councilors with care and respect. May everyone understand the role of the councilor. We don’t solve it, we ask to solve it. Silva Jardim has a way. Good luck to the five councilors who stay here and the four who enter.”
Claudinho de Ivo said the four were unfairly punished.
“2,800 votes were annulled, from you, a resident of Silva Jardim. I still believe in the last word, which is the word of the Lord. We weren’t to blame. I’m leaving with my head held high, they killed our dream, 2,800 votes down the drain. I will not give up on this beloved city and I will honor it. This is dirty, they took my dream away. My father is sad in heaven for the cowardice they did to me.”
