Everaldo Pereira
[2] Pereira is the son of pastor Heraldo and missionary Dilma and was born in Acari, a poor neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro.[6] Pereira kept himself in the political background until the electoral success of Anthony Garotinho (PR, former PDT) and Benedita da Silva (PT) when they ran for Governor and Vice-Governor, respectively, of the state of Rio de Janeiro.[11] He also received criticism from defenders of LGBT rights after declaring in his 2014 bid for the presidency that, if elected, he would propose a law to the National Congress to revert the decision of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) recognizing same-sex marriage in Brazil.[13] During the presidential campaign, Pereira also positioned himself against proposals of drug legalization and assumed the image of a defender of the traditional family, arguing that it is mandated by the Constitution.[14] In 2013, Pereira's ex-wife initiated in the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) a new judicial process, alleging that the pastor committed physical violence, followed by death threats.[16] In 2020, he was arrested by Operation Tris in Idem, conducted by Federal Police to investigate corruption in Rio de Janeiro State's health secretary.