In brief
In a bid to secure a decisive win, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign has asked Brazil’s top electoral court to disqualify right‑wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro over alleged interference by social‑media giant Meta. Lula’s petition accuses the platform of curbing Bolsonaro’s content while boosting his own, citing a report from United Nations experts on digital politics. Bolsonaro has fired back with a petition seeking to bar Lula for alleged misuse of government‑held personal data in mass WhatsApp campaigns. Meta denies unequal treatment and vows to comply with any court order. The dispute will play out in a closely contested second round as voters head to the polls on Sunday.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign has filed a petition with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) demanding that right‑wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro be disqualified from the runoff on Sunday. The leftist incumbent points to alleged abuse of power and uneven use of the social‑media platform Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
Lula’s lawyers argue that Meta has selectively limited content from Bolsonaro’s campaign while boosting posts that support him, a claim supported by a United Nations report on digital election interference. The UN’s special rapporteur on freedom of expression said Meta must guarantee a level playing field online and cited “temporary interruptions”, differences in audience engagement, view counts and reach, and restrictions on Bolsonaro’s Instagram posts.
Bolsonaro’s team has fired back by filing a petition that seeks to stop Lula from standing for office for an eight‑year period following the 2026 election. Their complaint focuses on mass WhatsApp messages that allegedly used government data to promote Lula’s social programmes.
Meta has denied any bias, saying it will comply with court orders and maintain equal treatment for both campaigns. The company also claimed it had not curtailed content linked to either side.
With the runoff set for this Sunday and both candidates far ahead of the 50 % threshold in the first round, the legal dispute adds a new dimension to an already fiercely contested election. Voters across Brazil’s 159 million electorate will now cast ballots at the polls, while journalists, activists and international observers keep a close eye on how the digital influence battle unfolds on election day.
