Justice blocks candidate registrations for violence against women; understand

The ineligibility of candidates convicted of domestic violence against women has returned to the center of the electoral debate after court decisions blocked candidacy records for the 2026 elections. The subject also puts back into discussion a legislative proposal presented in 2015, with the participation of the federal deputy Aliel Machado (PV-PR), of Ponta Grossa, who intends to expressly include this type of condemnation among the causes of ineligibility.

The Complementary Law Project (PLP) no 195/2015 was presented jointly by Aliel Machado and by the then deputy João Derly, from Rio Grande do Sul. The proposal seeks to amend the Ineligibility Act to prevent people convicted of domestic and family violence against women from contesting elective positions.

The text remains in the Chamber of Deputies, attached to PLP No. 40/2015, which also deals with the ineligibility of convicts for crimes against women.

Justiça Eleitoral bars nominations of convicts for violence against women

On September 14, the Regional Electoral Court of Alagoas (TRE-AL) denied the registration of the candidacy of João Francisco de Assis Neto, known as Dr. João Neto, who intended to run for federal deputy.

The candidate had been sentenced to four years and two months of imprisonment for qualified bodily injury against a woman. The conviction was confirmed by the Court of Justice of Alagoas.

By a majority of votes, the TRE-AL understood that the crime committed against women, for reasons of the female condition, could be framed in the hypotheses of ineligibility provided for in the current legislation.

The decision can still be challenged in the higher instances of the Justiça Eleitoral.

A similar decision took place in Rio Grande do Sul, where the TRE-RS rejected the registration of Evaristo Righetto’s candidacy for the position of state deputy.

The candidate had been convicted of bodily injury in the context of domestic and family violence. In analyzing the case, the court recognized the incidence of a cause of ineligibility provided for in the Complementary Law No. 64/1990.

Project of Aliel Machado seeks to establish rule expressed in the legislation

The recent decisions have again drawn attention to the legislative proposal presented with the participation of Aliel Machado more than ten years ago.

Currently, the Ineligibility Act establishes restrictions for convicts of certain crimes, but does not expressly include all cases of domestic and family violence against women as a specific category of ineligibility.

Therefore, the application of the existing rules to these crimes may depend on the interpretation of the Justiça Eleitoral, as occurred in the trials of Alagoas and Rio Grande do Sul.

The project presented in 2015 aims to establish a specific legal forecast for cases of domestic and family violence against women.

Aliel argues that the legislation is more objective to avoid different interpretations during the electoral processes.

“We are talking about a matter of coherence and protection for women. The recent decisions of Justiça Eleitoral show that this debate remains current and that we need to move forward to make this rule clear in legislation. We cannot depend on interpretations for every election,” the MP said.

The proposal was presented during his first term in the Chamber of Deputies, with the aim of establishing electoral restrictions for people convicted of violence against women.

Other proposals by Aliel aimed at women

In addition to the initiative related to ineligibility, Aliel Machado participated in the elaboration of other legislative proposals aimed at protecting and expanding women’s rights.

The MP is co-author of Law No. 13.880/2019, which amended the Maria da Penha Law to provide for the seizure of firearms in the possession of aggressors as a measure to protect victims of domestic violence.

Another initiative is Bill No. 3.856/2019, authored by the deputy, which originally proposed the minimum presence of 30% of women in management positions of entities benefited by the Sport Incentive Law.

The proposal was approved by the Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights and the Committee for Sport, the latter with an amendment that reduced the expected percentage to 25%. The project is still under discussion in the House.

According to the information released by the parliamentarian, other initiatives presented by him include expanding access to genetic mapping tests for women at high risk of breast cancer, the creation of credit lines for rural entrepreneurs and the establishment of a national policy to prevent violence through reflective groups on masculinities.

“The defence of women must be a permanent priority. My commitment is to continue working to strengthen protection, expand opportunities and ensure that no woman is forced to live with violence,” says Aliel.

The proposal that deals with ineligibility still depends on the completion of its processing in Congresso Nacional so that a new rule can come into force.