Rio de Janeiro governor-elect Douglas Ruas criticized movements seeking to turn the public against Brazil’s Supreme Court, while saying he would not judge Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s decision to challenge the election outcome. Ruas made the remarks Monday during a press conference announcing initial appointments to his government team.

Asked about a lawsuit filed by the PSD party of Eduardo Paes seeking to secure a second round in the state, Ruas said attempts to change a result already declared by the Superior Electoral Court were an affront to the electoral justice system. He said he trusted Brazil’s electoral system and considered the 2026 elections over nationwide.

In comments to Folha after the press conference, Ruas said his remarks also referred to the presidential race, which Flávio Bolsonaro has questioned. The governor-elect said he did not know what had led the senator to take that position and that his focus was on the government transition and delivering on campaign promises.

Flávio Bolsonaro had refused to recognize President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection and criticized the conduct of the electoral process. He later published a letter initially describing himself as the “true president-elect”; the wording was subsequently changed to “leader of the country.”

Ruas also said Flávio Bolsonaro had not sought to nominate people for positions in the state government. According to Ruas, the senator had encouraged him before the runoff to form a technical administration focused on serving the public.

The governor-elect confirmed that deputy governor Fernanda Louback will lead the Secretariat for Inclusion and Women, sociologist Maria Gabriela Bessa will head the Civil House and Governance Secretariat, and Anderson Monteze will lead the Secretariat for Planning, Management and Innovation.

He also confirmed that the Civil and Military police forces will report to the Secretariat of Security. The arrangement differs from a structure supported by allies in the public security sector, which has had separate secretariats for each force since 2019. Ruas said the unified model was part of what he had presented to voters and that he would follow through on that commitment.

Ruas additionally backed creating a state-specific spending cap. He said that, as president of the Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly, he intends to pursue legislation limiting government spending growth in line with revenue increases, with the aim of preventing future fiscal imbalances.

Sources: Folha Poder.