Brazil's Electoral Public Prosecutor's Office (MPE) has filed to have the candidacy of Yale Barbosa Fernandes disqualified as running mate for vice-governor of Alagoas on the ticket of former Transport Minister Renan Filho, both of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) party. The challenge was submitted to the Regional Electoral Court of Alagoas (TRE-AL) on Saturday, August 22, 2026. A final ruling rests with the Electoral Justice system.
The MPE's filing questions whether Fernandes genuinely stepped down from commissioned government posts in the city of Arapiraca within the deadlines set by electoral law. Prosecutors argue he kept presenting himself to voters as Secretary of Government even after his stated dismissal date of April 1, 2026, pointing to records on the official Arapiraca city hall website and on YouTube, including broadcasts of the 2026 Sao Joao festival, that show him still in the role after that date.
Missing dismissal records
Fernandes submitted documents showing he was removed from the Municipal Secretary post on April 1, 2026, but the MPE says it could not find the corresponding administrative act published in the Official Gazette. Prosecutors also say they found no order dismissing him from a separate commissioned post, Special Technical Advisor I in Arapiraca's Municipal Secretariat of Planning and Budget, which documents submitted by the candidate say he left on June 30.
The MPE's filing states that it searched the Official Gazette of Alagoas Municipalities but failed to locate the dismissal orders or the formal act appointing him to the Special Advisor post, which it says points to the act never being published and therefore having no legal effect.
Salary records under scrutiny
According to the electoral prosecutors, Fernandes received a salary of 11,800 reais in March 2026 as secretary. From April through July 2026, he appears on the municipality's Transparency Portal listed as Special Technical Advisor I, drawing the identical sum of 11,800 reais.
The MPE's filing calls this especially significant, noting that records from the Transparency Portal and an annex to municipal Law 3611/2023 show the pay for that advisory post matches exactly what municipal secretaries earn, 11,800 reais, while a deputy secretary is paid 5,500 reais.
Prosecutors say Fernandes drew a full salary through June, and that although the commissioned position still appeared on the Transparency Portal in July 2026, no salary was recorded that month.
Late addition to the ticket
Fernandes was not the original running mate on Renan Filho's ticket. Marina Lamenha de Freitas Cavalcanti had initially been named the vice-gubernatorial candidate before withdrawing, after which Fernandes took her place. Renan Filho, a former governor of Alagoas and former federal Transport Minister, is running for governor of the northeastern state.
MDB defends candidacy
In a statement, the MDB said Fernandes' candidacy for vice-governor is "fully" in order. The party argued it is "natural" for a politician to keep being identified by the highest-profile title they have held, and said there is no signed act, official order, salary record or other evidence showing Fernandes continued to exercise the secretary role after his dismissal.
