Brazil has opened what experts describe as an unprecedented effort in Latin American politics to keep candidates suspected of organized-crime ties off the ballot in October's general election, Reuters reported.

Prosecutors are advancing an interpretation of electoral law allowing them to challenge even unconvicted candidates. A Reuters review of 20 rulings barring candidates found none had appellate-court convictions, though Brazilian law typically requires one. A 2024 Superior Electoral Court ruling set precedent for using evidence of alleged criminal links.

Center-right congressional candidate Clebio Lopes Jacare was barred over allegations of belonging to a criminal organization. He says he has not been convicted. "Interference in the election, in the people's democratic vote, whether political or judicial, leads to a dictatorship," he told Reuters.

Crime is the top concern for Brazilians ahead of October's presidential election. Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, is seeking to defeat President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a tough-on-crime platform, after Rio's deadliest-ever police operation last year killed more than 120 people. Context: the anti-gang push could reshape October's races, with courts and voters weighing security against due process.