Organized crime and Brazil’s “bullet caucus” find shelter in the same parties

In Rio de Janeiro’s militia-controlled territories, votes can cluster around particular candidates at levels far above the citywide norm. A civil police officer involved in extortion in the city’s west zone received 13.36% of the votes for state deputy in his territory.

The comparison is striking. Natalino, a former police officer and, at the time, one of Rio’s biggest militia leaders, won 3.92% of the vote in areas under his control. The average state-deputy candidate received just 0.26% per polling station across the city of Rio, while elected candidates averaged about 0.81%.

The figures come from a 2025 article by Isabella Montini and the author, which analyzed electoral patterns in areas controlled by militias. The study also found that only one of the six politicians examined was affiliated with a left-wing party.

Taken together, the findings frame the city’s political landscape as one in which organized crime and the so-called “bullet caucus” find common ground within the same parties.