In a desperate bid to secure a fourth term, the campaign of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has petitioned the Superior Electoral Court to disqualify his conservative challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro.
The leftist incumbent is accusing Meta—the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—of manipulating its platforms to favor the Bolsonaro campaign.
Lula’s team is not merely seeking to remove his opponent from the upcoming Sunday ballot; they are pushing for a ruling that would render Bolsonaro ineligible for office for eight years following the 2026 election. This aggressive legal maneuver follows a pattern of accusations from the left regarding social media reach and engagement.
In response, the Bolsonaro campaign has fired back with its own petition, accusing the Lula administration of abusing political and economic power by utilizing government databases to blast mass promotional messages via WhatsApp.
Meta has categorically denied the allegations of bias, maintaining that it treats all campaigns equally and adheres to court orders. Despite the noise, the UN has weighed in with concerns regarding the digital playing field, though the tech giant insists it has not taken sides.
As 159 million voters prepare to head to the polls, the race remains a dead heat, with the incumbent attempting to use the power of the state to clear his path to victory.
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