Cabo Gilberto Silva
Cabo Gilberto Silva | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2023 | |
| Constituency | Paraíba |
| Leader of the Opposition in the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 16 December 2025 | |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Paraíba | |
| In office 1 February 2019 – 31 January 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gilberto Gomes da Silva 1 April 1981 Santa Rita, Paraíba, Brazil |
| Party | Liberal Party |
Other political affiliations | Social Liberal Party (2018–2022) |
| Education | University Center of João Pessoa |
| Occupation | Politician, police officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Brazil |
| Branch/service | Military Police of Paraíba |
Years of service | August 2002 – February 2019 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
Gilberto Gomes da Silva (born 1 April 1981), known as Cabo Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian politician and former military police officer. A member of the Liberal Party (PL), he has represented Paraíba in the Chamber of Deputies since 2023 and has served as leader of the opposition in the chamber since December 2025. He previously served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Paraíba from 2019 to 2023.[1]
Silva began his professional career in the Military Police of Paraíba in 2002. Before entering the federal legislature, he unsuccessfully contested elections for the state legislature and municipal council, before winning election as a state deputy in 2018. He was elected to the federal Chamber of Deputies in 2022 and re-elected in 2026.[2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Gilberto Gomes da Silva was born on 1 April 1981 in Santa Rita, Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. He studied law at the University Center of João Pessoa (UNIPÊ), completing his undergraduate degree between 2009 and 2014. He also completed postgraduate studies in public security and criminal law in 2014.[1]
Military police
[edit]Silva joined the Military Police of Paraíba in 2002, serving with the rank of cabo, equivalent to corporal. His military police service preceded his entry into electoral politics and provided the basis for the name by which he is commonly known.[2][4]
Political career
[edit]Early electoral campaigns
[edit]Silva's first recorded candidacy was in the 2014 state legislative election in Paraíba, when he stood for the state legislature as a candidate of the PROS. He received 4,012 votes and was not elected. In 2016, he ran for a seat on the municipal council of João Pessoa as a candidate of the Republicans party, then known as the Brazilian Republican Party (PRB). He received 1,951 votes and finished as a substitute rather than winning a seat.[3]
Legislative Assembly of Paraíba
[edit]In the 2018 state legislative election, Silva ran for the Legislative Assembly of Paraíba as a candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL). He received 23,273 votes and was elected to one of the assembly's 36 seats. He took office in February 2019 and served until January 2023.[2][3]
During his state legislative term, Silva served on assembly committees, including the committees for health and administration, according to the assembly's biographical profile.[2]
In 2022, following the political realignment involving the PSL and the Democrats, Silva became affiliated with the Liberal Party (PL). He chose to run for federal office rather than seek another term in the state legislature.[1][3]
Chamber of Deputies
[edit]Silva was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the 2022 general election, representing Paraíba as a candidate of the Liberal Party. He received 126,876 votes and began his first federal term on 1 February 2023.[1][3]
During his time in the chamber, Silva has held a number of parliamentary leadership appointments. The Chamber's official record lists him as a vice-leader of the opposition from March 2023 to May 2024, and again from May 2024 to February 2025, as well as on several individual dates. It also records temporary appointments as vice-leader of the Liberal Party and vice-leader of the minority. These appointments are distinct from his elected parliamentary mandate.[1]
Leader of the opposition
[edit]On 16 December 2025, Silva became leader of the opposition in the Chamber of Deputies. The official parliamentary record lists him in the position from that date onward. He continued to hold the role in 2026.[1][4]
Silva has been associated with the political right and is a supporter of former president Jair Bolsonaro. His public profile has included opposition to the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.[4][5]
2026 election
[edit]Silva stood for re-election in the 2026 general election as a Liberal Party candidate. He received 267,142 votes, the highest individual vote total among the candidates elected to represent Paraíba in the federal Chamber of Deputies. His new four-year term is scheduled to begin on 1 February 2027.[6]
Political positions and controversies
[edit]Investigation into the 8 January attacks
[edit]In March 2023, Alexandre de Moraes, a justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, ordered that Silva and other politicians from Paraíba be included in an investigation into the alleged intellectual responsibility for, or incitement of, the 8 January attacks on government buildings in Brasília. The decision followed a request by the Prosecutor General's Office and concerned allegations relating to the attacks. The court's announcement concerned the opening and scope of an investigation; it did not itself establish Silva's guilt.[5]
Electoral history
[edit]| Year | Office sought | Party | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | State deputy, Paraíba | PROS | 4,012 | Not elected |
| 2016 | Municipal councillor, João Pessoa | PRB | 1,951 | Substitute |
| 2018 | State deputy, Paraíba | PSL | 23,273 | Elected |
| 2022 | Federal deputy, Paraíba | PL | 126,876 | Elected |
| 2026 | Federal deputy, Paraíba | PL | 267,142 | Elected |
Awards and recognition
[edit]In August 2025 and August 2026, Silva was selected by public vote as the best federal deputy representing Paraíba in the Congresso em Foco awards. The award's 2026 announcement noted that he had repeated his public-vote win from the previous year.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Biografia do(a) Deputado(a) Federal Cabo Gilberto Silva" [Biography of Federal Deputy Cabo Gilberto Silva]. Chamber of Deputies of Brazil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Cabo Gilberto Silva". Legislative Assembly of Paraíba (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Cabo Gilberto Silva: electoral history". Imprensa Pública (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Cabo Gilberto Silva é eleito melhor deputado federal da Paraíba" [Cabo Gilberto Silva is chosen as best federal deputy from Paraíba]. Congresso em Foco (in Portuguese). 25 August 2026. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
- 1 2 "STF inclui políticos da Paraíba no inquérito sobre autoria intelectual dos atos de 8/1" [Supreme Court includes politicians from Paraíba in investigation into intellectual responsibility for the 8 January attacks]. Supreme Federal Court of Brazil (in Portuguese). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
- ↑ "Veja quem são os deputados federais eleitos na Paraíba" [See who the elected federal deputies from Paraíba are]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 4 October 2026. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
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