The dispute for the government of Rio Grande do Sul has seven names confirmed at party conventions. Now, the Regional Electoral Court (TRE) must approve the candidacies, if there are no pending issues in the Electoral Court. The candidates will be: César Pontes (PCO) Gabriel Souza (MDB) Juliana Brizola (PDT) Luciano Zucco (PL) Marcelo Maranata (PSDB) Priscila Voigt (UP) Rejane de Oliveira (PSTU) ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp The seven were launched at party conventions. The effective officialization of candidacies takes place until August 15th, with registration at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Candidates Juliana Brizola (PDT) and Luciano Zucco (PL) are the best placed in the dispute, according to the most recent electoral polls. The first round is scheduled for October 4th, and the second should take place on October 25th. See below for more details about the pre-candidates. César Pontes (PCO) Cesar Augusto Pontes (Porto Alegre, 1957) has a degree in history from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Pucrs). Son of a primary school teacher and a civil servant, he received his education in public schools. Already retired, he joined the PCO in 2016 and participated in mobilizations against the impeachment of then president Dilma Rousseff (PT) and against the Michel Temer government (MDB). In 2022, he tried to be a candidate for the government of RS, but was declared unfit by the Regional Electoral Court (TRE) due to the party's rejection. In 2024, he ran for mayor of Porto Alegre, but did not advance to the second round. Cesar Pontes is running for governor of RS for PCO Reproduction/RBS TV Gabriel Souza (MDB) Gabriel Souza (Porto Alegre, 1984) is a veterinarian, graduated from Ulbra. He is pursuing a PhD in Public Administration at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and at IDP, Brazil. He has a master's degree in Business Law and Citizenship from Unicuritiba and a specialist in Public Management from UCDB. He has executive training from the Harvard University School of Public Health (USA), Insper (SP), Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-Rio) and the Development Bank of Latin America. Born in Porto Alegre, Gabriel grew up in Tramandaí, on the North Coast, where he began his career as a student leader. With more than 20 years of experience in public life, he was a state deputy for two terms in the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul, where he served as president of Parliament, government leader and leader of the bench. He is currently deputy governor of the State, during the second term of Governor Eduardo Leite (PSD). Gabriel Souza is running for government of RS for the MDB Rodrigo Ziebell/GVG Juliana Brizola (PDT) Juliana Brizola (Porto Alegre, 1975) has a bachelor's degree in Law, a specialist in Public Security and a master's degree in Criminal Sciences. She was a councilor in Porto Alegre, municipal secretary and state deputy for three terms. Among its main projects approved by the Legislative Assembly are the Pró-Hospitais program, the constitutional amendment that made the expansion of the Full-Time School and the Breastfeeding Support Rooms mandatory, an adequate space for working mothers to express and store breast milk during the workday. Juliana was born in Porto Alegre, but as a child she lived in exile alongside her grandfather, Leonel Brizola, during the Military Dictatorship. He grew up between Uruguay and Rio de Janeiro, until he was able to return to Porto Alegre. In 2024, she was a candidate for mayor of the capital of Rio Grande do Sul and, with 19.69%, she did not advance to the second round. Juliana Brizola is running for governor of RS for PDT Disclosure Luciano Zucco (PL) Luciano Zucco (Alegrete, 1974) grew up in Serra Gaúcha and later lived and studied in Porto Alegre. A career soldier who graduated from the Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN), he served in the Parachute Infantry Brigade, where he specialized as a sniper and jump master. He has a master's degree in Military Sciences and Strategic Intelligence, with a specialization in Negotiation and Crisis Management and an Executive MBA in Private Security. He served in the Presidency's Institutional Security Office (GSI), participated in official missions in Brazil and abroad, commanded intelligence for security operations in Complexo do Alemão and was a professor at the Colégio Militar de Porto Alegre. In 2018, he was elected state deputy with 166,747 votes, the highest vote in RS for the Legislative Assembly. In 2022, he was elected federal deputy with 259,023 votes, again the most voted in the State, this time for the Federal Chamber, where he presided over the MST CPI and was leader of the opposition to the Lula government. Luciano Zucco runs for government of RS for PL Marina Ramos/Chamber of Deputies Marcelo Maranata (PSDB) Marcelo Maranata (Camaquã, 1976) was mayor of Guaíba between 2020 and 2026. Before that, he was a shoeshine boy, a newspaper delivery boy and a motorcycle courier, until he moved to Guaíba, where he studied Law. He became a merchant, opening a small stationery store. The business grew and he became a store manager as president of Sindilojas and CDL. In 2020, he was elected mayor of Guaíba. In 2024, he was re-elected with the highest vote in the municipality's history, with 78.18% of valid votes. Maranata was involved in the Rio Grande do Sul floods in 2024, which hit the municipality of Guaíba hard. He cycled around 700 km from Guaíba to Joinville (SC) to thank the people of Santa Catarina in the face of the climate tragedy. Marcelo Maranata is running for governor of RS for the PSDB Lu Freitas/Disclosure Priscila Voigt (UP) Priscila Voigt (Tijucas, SC, 1991) is a nutritionist, president of UP in Rio Grande do Sul and member of the party's National Executive. Since his youth, he has been active in organizing popular and working class struggles. A militant of the Movement of Struggle in Neighborhoods, Towns and Favelas (MLB), she was one of the coordinators of the Ocupação Lanceiros Negros and was in charge of organizing the Mirabal Women's Reference House, in Porto Alegre, a space that has been welcoming women in situations of violence and promoting popular organization for ten years. Its trajectory is