The Electoral Public Prosecutor's Office in Alagoas opened an investigative procedure against digital influencer and former reality show participant Rico Melquíades for electoral coercion. The investigation began this Monday following the dissemination of a video on social media last Saturday. The MPE determined that the influencer's statements constitute a crime of coercion in the context of the electoral process.
In the video, four women who work in the influencer's home appear. Rico Melquíades questions each one about their party preference, asking who pays their salary and demanding they answer about their political alignment. The influencer then turns to an employee identified as Manuela, associating her with the Workers' Party.
Then Melquíades repeatedly states that the employee would be Fired. "I don't want any PETISTAS in here," the influencer declared in emphatic tone during the recording. The images went viral on social media and caught the attention of electoral authorities, who began investigating the case understanding it to be undue pressure on employees based on party affiliation.
