World
Flávio Bolsonaro renews attack on Exército do Lula channel as TSE weighs final ruling
The PL candidate accused Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign of spreading falsehoods on a mass scale. A WhatsApp suspension order was issued and later provisionally overturned.
Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator and the PL presidential candidate, accused Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign of using a WhatsApp channel to spread false information on a large scale. O Globo reported that he made the remarks during a meeting with mayors from cities in the state of São Paulo.
The channel at the center of the dispute is Exército do Lula, coordinated by reelected lawmaker André Janones of Rede-MG. According to O Globo, it has more than 3 million subscribers and is used to share audio messages, videos and guidance for Lula supporters. Agência Brasil reported that the channel has more than 3.4 million people.
The matter is now before Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court. Kassio Nunes Marques, the TSE president, had ordered the channel suspended at the request of Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign. Later, electoral oversight judge Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva provisionally reversed that decision and restored the channel. The court’s full bench is expected to issue the final ruling.
According to O Globo, Nunes Marques argued that the channel used a broadcast structure reaching millions of people under a single command to replicate content the court had already deemed false. Agência Brasil added that Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign cited posts alleging the end of Bolsa Família, cuts to pension payments and other claims attributed to the channel.
Agência Brasil also reported that Villas Bôas Cueva said the request filed before the TSE presidency came 41 minutes after one of his rulings requiring additional information about the channel’s alleged irregular activity. He also said Flávio’s campaign submitted documents to Kassio that had not been added to the case file under his review.
At the event at Shopping Light in downtown São Paulo, organized by Mayor Ricardo Nunes, Flávio Bolsonaro denied that he would end Bolsa Família and said he would keep the rule of raising the minimum wage above inflation, according to O Globo.
At the same gathering, he also said the outlook for his 2026 victory was favorable, while urging allies not to lower their guard and to work to bring supporters back to the polls for the runoff on the 25th, O Globo reported.
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.
