Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva praised Rio de Janeiro’s interim governor, Ricardo Couto, on Saturday, saying the judge-turned-executive would help “fix” the state after a turbulent change in power and reports that listening devices were found in the governor’s office.
The remark came at the launch of Tela Brasil, a free federal streaming platform for Brazilian audiovisual productions, in Rio de Janeiro. Lula, a member of the Workers’ Party (PT), asked the audience for applause after noting Couto’s presence near the end of the event.
“I forgot to say that our interim governor is here. I wanted a round of applause for this man who will help fix Rio de Janeiro,” Lula said, according to Poder360 and CNN Brasil.
A Fragile Transition
Couto, 61, is president of Rio de Janeiro’s Court of Justice and took over the state government after Cláudio Castro, a member of the Liberal Party (PL), resigned to run for a Senate seat in the 2026 elections. UOL reported that Couto assumed the post because other officials in the line of succession were not in a position to take office.
Veja Rio said the state had no vice governor and that the president of Rio’s Legislative Assembly, known as Alerj, had been removed from office by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF). The unusual succession placed a senior state judge temporarily in charge of one of Brazil’s most politically important and administratively complex states.
UOL reported that Couto has carried out what it described as a management shake-up since taking office. By May 20, 3,171 dismissals had been published in the state’s official gazette across 69 agencies, affecting all 33 state secretariats and dozens of bodies linked to them. The state government has about 280,000 active public employees, according to official figures cited by UOL.
Security Questions
The political exposure around Couto increased after reports that listening devices had been found in the governor’s office at Palácio Guanabara, the seat of Rio de Janeiro’s state government. Poder360 cited reporting by columnist Miriam Leitão of O Globo that the devices were found during a sweep by the Institutional Security Office.
The available reports differ in emphasis. Brasil247 said the material would be examined to determine whether the devices were recent or old and whether they had been working. Veja Rio, also citing government information, reported that the devices appeared old and nonfunctional and had been removed by security agents.
Veja Rio reported that the state security office opened an investigation into the origin of the equipment and how it reached the governor’s office. The outlet also said Couto had already been working mainly from his office at the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice and going to Palácio Guanabara only for institutional meetings.
Lula’s Political Signal
Lula’s praise also carried an electoral subtext. UOL reported that the president indirectly referred at the event to the 2026 race for Rio governor, without naming the candidate. The outlet said former Rio mayor Eduardo Paes, a Social Democratic Party (PSD) politician supported by Lula, has praised Couto’s administration.
The interim governor has drawn criticism from allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to UOL, particularly over the mass dismissals of officials appointed under Castro, a Bolsonaro ally. UOL also reported that Bolsonaro supporters question Couto’s stay in office and argue that Alerj president Douglas Ruas, a PL pre-candidate for governor, should take over under the state succession line.
At the same Tela Brasil event, Lula broadened his remarks beyond Rio politics. He defended investment in Brazilian culture and argued that the country should strengthen its own audiovisual production and national identity.
The president also told supporters that the left should wear Brazil’s green and yellow colors during the World Cup, saying they should not be left to political opponents. The comment followed his observation that Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere, who attended the event in green and yellow clothing, should add a label saying the colors were “not Bolsonaro-supporting,” according to Poder360 and UOL.