Brazilian electoral court orders video targeting Flávio removed
The measure concerns a paid advert by Lula’s campaign linking his opponent to organised crime.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
Brazil’s electoral court, the TSE, has ordered President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign to remove a paid online advert about opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. The judge said the advert went beyond permissible political criticism by linking Bolsonaro to organised crime.
TSE judge Estela Aranha issued the preliminary decision on Tuesday. Lula’s campaign was given 24 hours to stop the paid distribution of the advert and remove the video. The video used a proposal to reform security policy to suggest that Flávio Bolsonaro supported organised crime.
In the video, Lula said he hoped Bolsonaro’s parliamentary group would support measures against organised crime. The video then, according to CNN Brasil, created the impression that Bolsonaro himself was involved in organised crime. The TSE made clear that paid distribution may be used to support one’s own candidacy, but not to give an attack on an opponent additional reach.
According to a complaint by Bolsonaro’s campaign, the video was placed as a sponsored advert on Facebook and Instagram 325 times. The adverts thereby reached more than 2.9 million accounts and generated between 3.7 million and 4.7 million impressions. The estimated spending was between 25,800 and 59,000 Brazilian reais, according to the complainant.
The case is part of a broader series of proceedings over negative campaigning in the run-up to the second round of Brazil’s presidential election. The TSE’s agenda on Tuesday included several cases in which Lula and Bolsonaro accused each other of misleading or unlawful messages about organised crime and criminal groups.
The TSE also acted against Bolsonaro over the past week. The court ordered the removal of three posts on X in which Lula was linked, according to the judge, to the PCC and Comando Vermelho without sufficient factual basis. One of those posts had been created with artificial intelligence without this being clearly stated.
The new measure does not mean that the TSE has established a substantive link between Bolsonaro and organised crime. The ruling concerns the form, substantiation and paid distribution of the campaign message. The decision is preliminary; the further handling of the proceedings will determine which rules ultimately apply to the campaigns.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The TSE ordered Lula’s campaign to remove a paid video about Flávio Bolsonaro within 24 hours.
- The judge classified the paid distribution of an attack on an opponent as unlawful.
- The TSE is handling similar cases concerning campaign statements by both candidates.
- The measure is preliminary and does not establish a substantive criminal link between Flávio Bolsonaro and organised crime.
Left
Arguments The electoral judge must intervene when campaigns link candidates to criminal organisations without sufficient evidence. Protection against disinformation and intimidation is necessary so that voters can choose on the basis of substance.
Values Equal access to public debate, protection of democratic institutions and limits on political slander.
Consequences Less reach for unfounded attacks, but also stricter oversight of campaign statements and greater responsibility for platforms and parties.
Centre
Arguments A neutral rule must apply to both campaigns: criticism of policy must remain possible, but paid adverts must not amplify unsubstantiated criminal allegations. Swift preliminary measures are defensible as long as an appeal remains possible and the case is fully heard.
Values Institutional diligence, equal treatment and a verifiable electoral process.
Consequences The campaign may escalate less quickly, while the TSE must prevent preliminary decisions from being seen as definitive findings of truth.
Right
Arguments Voters must also be able to discuss forceful political links, especially when security and organised crime are central election issues. A judge should be restrained when removing political messages, because this may come across as censorship.
Values Freedom of expression, political competition and distrust of far-reaching judicial intervention in elections.
Consequences More room for sharp campaigning, but also a greater risk that unsubstantiated allegations will reach millions of voters before they can be rebutted.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts have been confirmed by the TSE and an independent Brazilian news source. The text clearly distinguishes between a preliminary measure, campaign allegations and established facts.
- confirmed On 13 October, the TSE gave Lula’s campaign 24 hours to remove a paid video about Flávio Bolsonaro. — CNN Brasil describes judge Estela Aranha’s preliminary decision and the 24-hour deadline. source
- confirmed The video linked Flávio Bolsonaro to organised crime in connection with the security PEC. — The content of the video and the context of the PEC are described in CNN Brasil’s report. source
- confirmed According to the complaint, the advert was sponsored 325 times and reached more than 2.9 million accounts. — CNN Brasil attributes these figures to the complaint by Bolsonaro’s campaign. source
- confirmed On 13 October, the TSE handled several cases concerning negative campaign statements by Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. — The TSE’s official agenda lists five relevant representations. source
- confirmed On 8 October, the TSE ordered three posts by Flávio Bolsonaro to be removed, including posts about Lula and criminal groups. — This is stated in the TSE’s official report. source
Editor's note
It is certain that on 13 October the TSE imposed a preliminary removal order on Lula’s campaign and that the court is handling several similar cases involving both candidates. The definitive outcome of the proceedings remains uncertain; exact estimates of reach and costs come from the complaint by Bolsonaro’s campaign.Sources
- TSE manda Lula tirar do ar vídeo que liga Flávio ao crime organizado — CNN Brasil
- Confira a pauta de julgamentos do TSE desta terça-feira (13) — Tribunal Superior Eleitoral
- TSE manda retirar do ar vídeos com uso de IA publicados por Flávio Bolsonaro — Tribunal Superior Eleitoral
- TSE manda Flávio apagar vídeos que associava Lula a facções — SBT News
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „brazilië verkiezingen”
- RTL Nieuws — „brazilië verkiezingen”
- NOS — „brazilië verkiezingen”