World
• Analysis
Lula Campaign Seeks to Disqualify Flavio Bolsonaro Over Meta Election Interference
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's campaign team will on Tuesday ask Brazil's top electoral court to disqualify rival Flavio Bolsonaro over alleged election interference by Meta, a source told AFP, in a petition claiming 'algorithmic manipulation' to suppress Lula's content and boost Bolsonaro.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 20, 2026
• 3 Min Read
The petition to the electoral court
Lawyers for the incumbent will file the flavio bolsonaro disqualification petition on Tuesday with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), arguing that Meta's platforms were tilted against the president in the closing stretch of the brazil runoff election. The document claims 'algorithmic manipulation' by the company to hold back Lula's campaign content while lifting his rival, a source told AFP.
The allegations at the heart of the case are specific:
- •Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, is accused of suppressing Lula's online content to boost Bolsonaro.
- •The campaign also alleged inconsistencies in the WhatsApp AI manipulation, saying Lula-related election content was limited while Bolsonaro content was untouched.
- •The claim was first reported Monday by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.
Court order and Meta's response
The TSE has already moved against the company. On Monday the court gave Meta 24 hours to prove it was complying with an order to treat both campaigns equally, threatening a daily fine of around $200,000.
Meta answered on Tuesday, saying in a statement: "We have completed the implementation of the measures to comply with the Superior Electoral Court's decision."
The company has denied favouring either side, though it previously said some of Lula's campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.
A court source said Meta and lawyers from both campaigns will meet at the TSE on Tuesday - the same day the disqualification request is due to be filed.
A runoff too close to call
The legal fight lands at a moment when the race remains genuinely open. Flavio Bolsonaro, the right-wing son of jailed ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro, took 47 percent in the first round against Lula's 45 percent, and polls show a technical tie before Sunday's runoff.
Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in office. The first-round result appears to have invigorated the left, with Lula's camp staging large rallies since then and working to improve its social media operation.
Foreign meddling claims and protest
The dispute over the platforms has spilled into diplomacy and the streets.
- •Lula has accused the American government of meddling in the elections in favour of Flavio Bolsonaro.
- •US President Donald Trump has not explicitly endorsed Bolsonaro, 45, but called his first-round finish a "very, very big victory".
- •Dozens of Lula supporters protested outside Meta's Sao Paulo offices on Monday, with placards and slogans such as "Meta out of Brazil".
Behind the candidacy sits the family's legal drama: Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest for attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat to Lula, and Flavio has sworn to liberate him if elected.
Meta and lawyers from both campaigns meet at the Superior Electoral Court on Tuesday, the day Lula's campaign is due to file the disqualification request, ahead of Sunday's runoff.
