Eduardo Paes

Eduardo da Costa Paes (Brazilian Portuguese: [eˈdwaʁdu dɐ ˈkɔstɐ pɐjs], born 14 November 1969) is a Brazilian politician who served as mayor of Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2017, and again from 2021 to 2026.^[1][2] On 12 August, at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, he took the Olympic Flag, via Jacques Rogge, from London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Deputy

• Nilton Caldeira
• Eduardo Cavaliere

Preceded byMarcelo Crivella

Succeeded byEduardo Cavaliere

Deputy

• Carlos Alberto Muniz
• Adilson Pires

Quick facts Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Deputy ...

Eduardo Paes
Paes in 2024
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 January 2021 – 20 March 2026
Deputy	Nilton Caldeira Eduardo Cavaliere
Preceded by	Marcelo Crivella
Succeeded by	Eduardo Cavaliere
In office 1 January 2009 – 1 January 2017
Deputy	Carlos Alberto Muniz Adilson Pires
Preceded by	Cesar Maia
Succeeded by	Marcelo Crivella
Secretary of Tourism, Sport and Recreation of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 January 2007 – 4 June 2008
Governor	Sérgio Cabral Filho
Preceded by	Sérgio Ricardo de Almeida (Tourism) Francisco de Carvalho (Sport)
Succeeded by	Márcia Beatriz Lins Izidoro
Secretary of the Environment of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 January 2001 – 1 April 2002
Mayor	Cesar Maia
Preceded by	Maurício Lobo Abreu
Succeeded by	Ayrton Alvarenga Xerez
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 3 April 2002 – 1 January 2007
Constituency	Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 February 1999 – 1 January 2001
Constituency	Rio de Janeiro
Councillor of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 January 1997 – 1 February 1999
Constituency	At-large
Personal details
Born	(1969-11-14) 14 November 1969 (age 56) Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Brazil
Party	PSD (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	PV (1994–1995) PFL (1995–1999; 2001–2003) PTB (1999–2001) PSDB (2003–2007) PMDB (2007–2018) DEM (2018–2021)
Spouse	Cristine Paes
Children	2
Alma mater	Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (LL.B.) Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PG.Cert.)
Paes's voice Paes on the future of Rio de Janeiro after the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics Recorded 19 September 2016

Close

Paes was a trenchant critic of the Lula administration, particularly during the Mensalão scandal in 2005 over alleged payments to congresspeople for votes.^[3] When it came to his administration as Rio de Janeiro's mayor, scandals continued to occur.^[4]

As mayor during the bid, preparation and execution of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Paes faced many challenges, balancing the demands and opportunities of the Olympics with the needs of the Cariocas (the people of Rio de Janeiro).^[5]

Paes ran unsuccessfully for Rio de Janeiro state governor in 2018. He was elected for a third term as Rio de Janeiro mayor in 2020, defeating incumbent Marcelo Crivella in the run-off.^[6][7] Despite being elected mayor as a member of the Democrats in 2020, Paes joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in 2021, starting a movement for other politicians connected to the mayor to affiliate themselves to the party.^[8]

Eduardo Paes resigned as mayor on 20 March 2026 to run for governor of Rio de Janeiro State.^[9][10]