Three mayors from Brazilian Amazon cities have their terms revoked in a single week
07 de July de 2025
By Lucas Thiago – From Cenarium
MANAUS (AM) – The Electoral Court in the states of Mato Grosso, Tocantins, and Amapá revoked the terms of mayors Edelo Ferrari (União Brasil), João Machado Alves (União Brasil), and Breno Lima de Almeida (PP), respectively, as well as those of vice-mayors Roseli Gonçalves (PSB), Neusimar dos Reis (Republicanos), and Artur Lima de Sousa (Solidariedade), for abuse of political and economic power. According to the court, the electoral crimes were committed during the 2024 elections.
In Mato Grosso, Edelo Ferrari and Roseli Gonçalves are the mayor and vice-mayor of Brasnorte, located 587 kilometers from Cuiabá. The decision, issued last Tuesday, the 2nd, by judge Romeu da Cunha Gomes, from the 56th Electoral Zone, also ordered new elections to be held in the municipality.
According to the ruling, the mayor and some city council members set up a vote-buying scheme involving the Enawenê-Nawê Indigenous community. According to the court, they recruited around 100 Indigenous individuals to transfer their voter registration to Brasnorte, offering illegal transportation, money, fuel, and even frozen chickens on the eve of the election.
In a video posted on social media, Ferrari said he will appeal to the Regional Electoral Court (TRE-MT) in Cuiabá, because, according to him, “there, real justice will be done.” Alongside the vice-mayor and other supporters, Edelo Ferrari said his lawyers are already working on the appeal.
According to the mayor of Brasnorte, the revocation of their terms happened without evidence. “We were surprised by the decision, especially because the judge himself states that there was no solid evidence to convict me or teacher Rose, nor to declare us ineligible,” he said.
Barrolândia (TO)
On Friday, the 4th, the mayor of Barrolândia, Tocantins, João Machado Alves, and vice-mayor Neusimar dos Reis had their terms revoked by the court. According to the decision, they committed abuse of political and economic power together with the city’s former mayor, Adriano José Ribeiro, who held office from 2016 to 2019, and again from 2020 to 2024. The ruling is still subject to appeal.
Oiapoque (AP)
The Electoral Public Prosecutor’s Office of Amapá (MPE-AP) obtained a ruling last Wednesday, the 2nd, revoking the terms of Oiapoque mayor Breno Lima de Almeida and vice-mayor Artur Lima de Sousa, for illegal vote-buying practices, known as vote-capturing, abuse of economic power, and abuse of political power during the 2024 municipal elections.
The ruling, issued by the judge of the municipality’s 4th Electoral Zone, fully granted the MPE-AP’s request following the conclusion of the evidentiary phase in the Action for the Annulment of Electoral Mandate (AIME), filed based on evidence gathered by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Police.
In addition to the loss of office, the court declared Breno Lima de Almeida ineligible for a period of eight years starting from the 2024 election, based on Article 1, Section I, Item “d” of Complementary Law No. 64/1990. The ruling also mandates new elections in the municipality once the decision becomes final.
In September of last year, about a week before the municipal elections, the mayor and several municipal employees were caught red-handed by the Federal Police (PF) with approximately R$100,000 in cash.
