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Brazil’s electoral court opens investigation into Lula and Alckmin over Rio carnival parade
The complaint was filed by Flávio Bolsonaro and Alfredo Gaspar over alleged political and economic abuse of power and misuse of media. O Globo reported that Janja Lula da Silva, Marcelo Freixo and Rodrigo Neves were also named in the case.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court has accepted an electoral judicial investigation against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Geraldo Alckmin over alleged political and economic abuse of power linked to a parade by the samba school Acadêmicos de Niterói during Rio de Janeiro’s carnival.
According to O Globo, electoral inspector Antonio Carlos Ferreira accepted the filing on Friday the 18th. The complaint was brought by Flávio Bolsonaro and his running mate Alfredo Gaspar, and it also names Janja Lula da Silva, Marcelo Freixo and Niterói mayor Rodrigo Neves as subjects of the investigation. Under the ruling, they have five days to submit their defense.
The parade at the center of the case was built around Lula’s life story. O Globo said that accepting the case does not mean the court has ruled on the merits, only that it found the filing met the procedural requirements to move forward.
In their petition, Flávio Bolsonaro and Alfredo Gaspar argue that there was economic abuse of power because, in their account, the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, the state of Rio de Janeiro and Embratur directed 9.6 million reais to the samba school. They also claim those transfers took place after the theme was announced in July 2025 and point to private revenue that, they argue, has not been properly explained.
The complaint also alleges misuse of mass media. According to the filing, the parade was broadcast on nationwide free-to-air television for about 79 minutes and remained available on digital platforms afterward, exposure that the candidates argue fell outside the legal framework for electoral advertising.
The petition requests evidence from several public and private bodies, as well as testimony from Janja Lula da Silva, Marcelo Freixo and Rodrigo Neves. It also asks that, if abuse of power and misuse of media are confirmed, Lula and Alckmin lose their candidacies or diplomas and be barred from running for office for eight years.
O Globo quoted Rondônia Bar Association president Márcio Nogueira as saying that this kind of case is among the harshest accountability tools in Brazil’s electoral justice system and can lead to loss of registration or diploma and an eight-year ban if upheld.
The newspaper also said the PT campaign was contacted for comment but had not responded.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
