By TVT News
On Friday, Justice Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court denied a request from presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign to block social media posts from 54 leaders of unions, student organizations and social movements.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (Photo: Rafa Neddermeyer/Agência Brasil)
The campaign had alleged that these organizations’ physical infrastructure and social media accounts were being used to benefit President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection bid.
Reviewing the allegations, Cueva found that the accusations need to be evaluated individually. He gave Bolsonaro’s campaign lawyers 72 hours to submit detailed evidence of the alleged irregularities. “This decision is limited to recognizing that the available evidence is not sufficient, at this time, to justify the requested injunction,” the justice said.
Cueva also stressed that rejecting the injunction to block the posts does not authorize unions to use their assets, services or financial resources to benefit any candidacy. “Covering campaign expenses, producing or distributing materials that amount to economic support for a candidacy, and providing goods or services for that purpose are all legally prohibited, regardless of whether funds are transferred directly,” he added.
The case will still receive a final ruling from Cueva. No timeline has been set for that decision.
Union Federation Responds to the Decision
Following the ruling, the United Federation of Oil Workers (Federação Única dos Petroleiros/FUP) issued the following statement addressing the Superior Electoral Court’s decision and the conditions surrounding the 2026 runoff campaign:
“The United Federation of Oil Workers considers it significant that Justice Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, the Superior Electoral Court’s inspector general, denied requests on Friday from Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign seeking to restrict the activities of Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, unions, labor federations and student organizations during the presidential runoff, set for October 25.
The justice noted that these measures could violate constitutional rights, including freedom of expression, association and union organizing. He ruled that the accusations against the named union leaders must be individually specified and substantiated. Without presenting evidence, Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign has accused those involved of electoral abuse and improper use of media platforms.
The FUP reaffirms that unions play a fundamental role in democracy and have the right to defend the interests of the working class and take part in political debate, within the bounds of electoral law.”
This article was written by TVT News editorial team with support from the public news agency Agência Brasil and the United Federation of Oil Workers (FUP)
This article originally appeared in TVT News, was translated by Panamerican Dispatch, with express authorization of the editor, and can be read in its original Portuguese here