Anthony Garotinho, of Republicanos, has asked to withdraw his appeal against the rejection of his candidacy for governor of Rio de Janeiro. The move could determine whether the state holds a runoff, but it has not yet changed the official result: TSE Justice Floriano de Azevedo Marques gave the Electoral Prosecutor-General’s Office two days to respond, leaving the registration dispute before the court.¹

The figures explain the stakes. Douglas Ruas of the PL finished with 49.27% of valid votes, ahead of Eduardo Paes of the PSD on 42.76%; Garotinho received 274,411 votes, or 3.17%, which were recorded as annulled sub judice. Rodrigo Constantino, posting on X, celebrated the withdrawal and said Ruas “should be declared governor-elect” in the first round.Rodrigo Constantino (Rconstantino)²

Paes takes the opposite view. He has described Garotinho’s withdrawal as a “maneuver” intended to elect Ruas and argued that it would shift the decision from voters to Garotinho. Paes says a runoff should proceed, portraying the prospective exclusion of Garotinho’s votes as interference with the electoral process.³

Accounts supportive of Ruas focus instead on the arithmetic and procedure. If Garotinho’s votes are definitively removed from the valid-vote base, Ruas’ share would rise to 50.88%, compared with 44.16% for Paes—enough for a first-round win. But that account also notes that the withdrawal must be accepted and votes retotaled by electoral authorities.⁴

A further disagreement concerns responsibility for the impasse. A right-leaning account notes that Paes’ coalition originally challenged Garotinho’s eligibility, while constitutional lawyer Antonio Carlos de Freitas Jr. said withdrawal is a unilateral act and that, once the registration rejection is final, votes for an ineligible candidate are null. Those are arguments about the legal consequences, not a final ruling: the TSE still has the decisive word.⁵