Goiás state lawmaker Amilton Filho, of the MDB party, died early on Saturday (26) at age 41 in a crash on the BR-050 federal highway near Cristalina, in the region that surrounds Brasília. According to the Legislative Assembly of Goiás, the car he was riding in hit a parked semi-trailer at around 1:30 a.m. He died at the scene.

Amilton Filho was returning from a campaign event, the Assembly said. He was running for reelection in October, when Brazil holds nationwide elections, and was seeking a third term as a state deputy, the title given to members of state legislatures. The MDB confirmed his candidacy in August, according to the newspaper Estadão. Three people were in the car. The driver and a videographer from the deputy's team were rescued and taken to the Chaud Salles municipal hospital in Cristalina. G1 reported that their condition had not been disclosed.

Official mourning

Assembly Speaker Bruno Peixoto, of União Brasil, declared five days of official mourning in the state legislature and canceled Saturday's campaign events. Peixoto called the late lawmaker a friend and brother. "What remains is the longing, the good memories and the gratitude for all the moments we shared," he said.

Governor Daniel Vilela of Goiás, also of the MDB and a friend of the lawmaker in public life, released a statement of mourning.

"In recent years we built a relationship of respect, trust and friendship that I will keep with me. Amilton leaves behind a life of dedication to public service and to Goiás, especially Anápolis, his hometown, with which he always kept an affectionate and committed bond," Vilela wrote.

Career

Born in Anápolis, Amilton Filho entered politics as a law student at UniEvangélica university. He worked for ten years as a state civil servant and served two terms on the Anápolis city council, the first starting in 2012, and presided over the council from 2017 to 2018, according to Estadão. He was elected to the state assembly in 2018 and reelected in 2022 with 46,556 votes. In his second term he chaired the Constitution and Justice Committee and served as vice chair of the Consumer Rights Committee.

He leaves a wife and two young children, his team said. The wake will be held in Anápolis, where he lived, about 55 kilometers from Goiânia, the state capital. As of Saturday morning, the times for the wake and the burial had not been announced. The official mourning in the Assembly runs for five days.