Judge Claudio de Mello Tavares took office this week as the new president of the Regional Electoral Court of Rio (TRE-RJ).
Tavares said that One of the priorities of his administration will be the fight against candidates linked to organized crime. The mandate runs until March 2027.
“There will be no space in the electoral process of the State of Rio de Janeiro for candidacies sponsored by organized crime, drug trafficking or militias. The popular vote is sacred. It cannot be bought, coerced, manipulated”, he stated, highlighting that he will not “hesitate” in rejecting the registrations of candidates with a direct or indirect relationship with criminal organizations.
Claudio Tavares was elected by acclamation by the seven members of the Collegiate of the Rio Electoral Court to succeed judge Peterson Barroso Simão.
“No nation becomes stronger without guaranteeing citizens the right to a free vote. Free from pressure, coercion, fear. In this court, we will rigorously defend the right of voters to choose their representatives without parallel forces interfering in their decision. The vote belongs to the voter and only him”, he highlighted.
Claudio de Mello Tavares has been a judge at the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ) since 1998. Between 2017 and 2018, he served as inspector general of Justice and was president of the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro in the 2019-2020 biennium. From March to December 2025, he held the vice-presidency and the Regional Electoral Inspectorate in the state.
At the ceremony, judge Fernando Cerqueira Chagas took office as vice-president and regional electoral inspector of the TRE-RJ.
