First round

Zema was a member of the Liberal Party for all of his political affiliation but changed to run for NOVO in the 2018 Minas Gerais gubernatorial election.^[11] He polled low, given NOVO's relatively low profile, initially with 3%, tying with the REDE candidate. His main opponents in PSDB and incumbent governor Fernando Pimentel, of the Worker's Party, held 10 point leads. However, Zema began to gain traction.^[12]

In the closing remarks of the Globo debate, Romeu Zema stated that "those who want change, of course, can vote for the different candidates, which are Amoêdo and Bolsonaro."^[11] NOVO's national directory saw this statement as partisan infidelity on the part of Zema, because of his defense of the Bolsonaro campaign. However, the state directorate put this as a misunderstanding, highlighting the party's inexperience in matters of political relevance, such as large-scale debates. Some analysts attributed Romeu Zema's unexpected success in the first round to this statement. Romeu Zema officially declared support for Jair Bolsonaro during the campaign in the second round,^[13] a factor that led him to suffer criticism from the population, being booed and called an "opportunist" when participating in a campaign act in favor of Bolsonaro.^[11] On 7 October 2018, the first round of the general elections was held in Brazil, and Romeu Zema reached the mark of 42.73% of valid votes against 29.06% for Antônio Anastasia and 23.12% for Fernando Pimentel.^[14]

Second round

In the second round of the elections, Zema received the support of João Batista dos Mares Guia (REDE).^[15] PSL, the party of presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, decided not to support the candidacy of Romeu Zema in Minas Gerais.^[16] After being asked about accepting support from governor Fernando Pimentel, Zema initially stated that he would not refuse the defeated governor's support as long as he did not ask for secretariats in return. On social media, Antônio Anastasia criticized Zema's position stating that "he wanted PT on his side", even though the Workers' Party candidate was not part of the second round of the election.^[17] On social media, Zema said that Anatasia's video was "fake news" and that he would not make a deal with PT. Later, Pimentel and his party declared neutrality in the second round.^[18]

Zema was elected in the second round of the 2018 elections as the 39th Governor of Minas Gerais,^[19] being driven by the search for renewal in politics and the anti-PT movement, mixed with Bolsonaro's growth in the 2018 elections. Some analysts pointed out that Zema's victory in the elections was the result of a polarized political attrition between PT and PSDB, responsible for the state for the last 16 years. In this sense, Zema would have taken advantage of the wave of renewal and the population's will to change in the face of the economic crises of the period.^[20]

Inauguration

Zema was inaugurated on 19 December 2018, along with vice governor Paulo Brant (elected for NOVO and later changed to PSDB), an engineering professor, in the Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte. The ceremony also installed two senators elected in the same elections, Carlos Viana (elected for PHS and later changed to PL) and Rodrigo Pacheco (DEM), and the 77 state deputies elected in the same election. Zema did not attend Jair Bolsonaro's inauguration, even though he had various forms of transportation at his disposal, largely bough in his predecessor term. Zema had heavily campaigned against what he deemed "frivolous government spending" like the transportation in the election.^[21][22]

Government spending

Zema had campaigned on cutting government spending and returning taxes to voters. He struggled however, because his party only had 5 state deputies.

COVID-19

After the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zema issued lockdown orders that were criticised by NOVO's national directory, who claimed that the measures "negatively affected business".^[36]

In later 2020, the underreporting of COVID cases in Minas Gerais was criticized by the press. Zema stated that tests for COVID-19 were "just to satisfy the curiosity of researchers, while not assisting in public health". Despite the presence of underreporting, this was a trend throughout Brazil due to an increase in cases of Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). In September 2020, Minas Gerais was considered the state with the lowest rate of deaths per inhabitant in Brazil.^[37]

In 2021 it was reported that Zema's government was under investigation by Augusto Aras, the Attorney General of Brazil, for its handling of state PPE purchases that may have benefited certain companies rather than achieving the lowest price. Zema denied any wrongdoing.^[38]

Response to the Brumadinho dam disaster

On 25 January 2019, a dam operated by Vale S.A. in the municipality of Brumadinho collapsed, killing at least 259 people.

In 2021, the Zema government closed an agreement with Vale S.A. for the damage caused by the dam's rupture, in which the company will pay the State 37.68 billion reais;^[39] the money was set to be used in infrastructure works for the affected region. The Movement of People Affected by Dams organized a protest against the agreement, which the group considered unfair,^[40] while other actors welcomed the speed of the process.^[41]

Campaign

Support for Bolsonaro

While Zema officially supported Felipe D'Avila, his party's nominee in the first round, he made no secret his support for Bolsonaro in the second, endorsing him just days after the first vote.

While he promised to corral support, along with Claudio Castro, he seemed to be making lackluster efforts, more trying to build a national profile in 2026. While he got some mayors, he has already begun distancing himself according to some, who think that Zema expects Bolsonaro to lose.^[46]

Comments on domestic violence

On March 9, 2020, during the launch of a state government program to support victims of domestic violence, Zema referred to domestic violence as “a natural instinct of human beings.”^[47]

Comments on Brazil's regions

On August 6, 2023, Zema discussed the divide between Brazil's North and Northeast with its South, Southeast, and West with the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo. In the interview, Zema said:

Zema was denounced by left-wing politicians across Brazil and even by allies from the Northeast. Gilson Machado, a minister in the Bolsonaro cabinet, said that he "vehemently repudiate[s] any speech that even ventilates the separation of our country."^[48]

Marina Silva, the Minister of the Environment said that "without the Amazon, there is no way to have agriculture, there is no way to have industry, there is no way for Brazil to even have life in the South, Southeast and Midwest, because science says it would be a desert like the Atacama or Sahara deserts. Therefore, it is not a matter of quantity in terms of population weight, it is a matter of working with the principle of environmental justice and the GDP of the ecosystem services that are generated by this region."^[48]

Others took a stronger stance, like Flávio Dino, the Minister of Justice, who said that Zema is "a traitor to the Constitution [and thus] is a traitor to the homeland."^[48]

Other politicians like Eduardo Leite, the Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, initially supported Zema, who after critiscm stated "We will all be stronger the more we are one Brazil. I do not believe that Governor Zema has said anything different from that. If he said it, he does not represent me. We never thought until today that the states of the North and Northeast had united against the other states of the country. On the contrary, the union of these states around the agenda that is of common interest to them served as a inspiration so that we can finally do the same. It has nothing to do with a front of States against States or region against region."^[48]

Zema himself said after the outcry that "the union of the South and Southeast will never be to diminish other regions. It is not to be against anyone, but in favor of joining efforts. Dialogue and management are fundamental for the country to have more opportunities. The distortion of facts causes division, but the strength of the Brazil is at work in unity."^[48]

Alleged government impropriety

As part of its lawsuit calling for the invalidation of Zema's candidacy, the far-right Brazilian Woman's Party accused Zema of using the government secretariat to invite the party to join his electoral coalition.^[49]

Charles Soares de Sousa, the Zema-appointed superintendent of the Minas Gerais Supram, intervened to cancel a fine against Gute Schit, a mining company linked to a consulting firm Sousa had provided services for.^[50]