Brazil’s presidential run-off has descended into a legal fight over social media and foreign influence, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign asking the country’s electoral court to disqualify his right-wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro over alleged manipulation by Meta, two days before Sunday’s vote.
Lula’s team said that the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp suppressed the president’s content and boosted his challenger’s. It is also pressing separate claims that the US government is meddling in the contest on Bolsonaro’s behalf. Meta, however, has denied favouring either side, while Washington maintains that it has not endorsed a candidate.
Rival petitions
In a petition to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Wednesday (October 21), Lula’s coalition accused Flávio Bolsonaro and his running mate, Alfredo Gaspar, of “abuse of economic power and improper use of social networks”. It also asked that Bolsonaro be made ineligible for eight years. The campaign cites data showing Bolsonaro’s official profile, with about 17 per cent fewer followers than Lula’s, drew nearly three times as many interactions per post in the first week of the run-off.
A day earlier, Bolsonaro’s side filed its own request to disqualify Lula for “abuse of power”. It alleged that the government’s mass distribution of official posts on a government WhatsApp account, and the use of personal data from official databases to promote social programmes, amounted to an improper campaign. Such petitions rarely succeed, and a ruling before polling day is considered unlikely.
The UN’s concerns
On Wednesday, UN human rights experts appeared to side with Lula when they expressed concerns about reports of unequal reach on Meta’s platforms. They cited temporary interruptions to one candidate’s campaign account, differences in engagement and view counts, and restrictions on that campaign’s Instagram posts. They urged Meta to examine whether its moderation, recommendation and AI systems had restricted one side unfairly.
“Information, including from Meta employees, suggests that accounts linked to one side of the presidential race were disproportionately curtailed,” their report read, without naming the candidate. The experts are independent rapporteurs appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and do not speak for the UN itself.
Lula’s coalition had taken its complaint to the UN and the Federal Police days earlier. Lula supporters also protested outside Meta’s São Paulo office, chanting “Meta out of Brazil”.
In its response, Meta said that some of Lula’s campaign ads were mistakenly deactivated because of technical errors that were not specific to Brazil. It said that it has complied with a TSE order to treat both campaigns equally, which gave it 24 hours on Monday to prove it. “Meta applies the same rules to all candidates,” the company said, promising to “ensure a level playing field”. Lula’s campaign has separately complained that Meta’s AI tools would not generate Lula-related content while Bolsonaro material was untouched.
‘Interference’ from Washington
The Meta dispute has come on the heels of Lula’s wider allegation that the Trump administration is trying to shape the outcome. Lula has told Trump it is “very important” that the US stay out of Brazil’s elections. Addressing the UN last month, he declared: “Brazil is no one’s backyard.”
The claims have several strands. In July, Brazil denied visas to two US State Department officials, saying their trip aimed to interfere in the election. Lula’s coalition has told the TSE in a 117-page filing that Flávio Bolsonaro and his brother Eduardo, who lives in the US, lobbied for American tariffs and sanctions on Brazil and then used them in the campaign, and it wants both barred from office for eight years. This week the campaign also asked the court to examine a sudden shutdown of US consular services as part of that inquiry.
Washington’s pressure began in 2025, when it imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, citing the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. Trump has said he is watching the vote “very closely” but has not backed a candidate. Flávio Bolsonaro met him at the White House in May.
Lula has turned the issue into a campaign theme. One of his ads declares: “Flávio Bolsonaro is Trump’s candidate.” Bolsonaro’s allies have framed their US ties as an asset.
A knife-edge run-off
Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. Bolsonaro, 45, a senator, led the first round on October 4 with 47 per cent to Lula’s 45 per cent, short of the majority needed to win outright. Polls show a technical tie. NWS had earlier reported on how Lula’s campaign may not have resonated as expected with Brazil voters who were hoping to see the political parties raise issues of unemployment and rising prices of essential commodities. Opinion polls point to a tight Sunday (October 25) run-off, with little separating the candidates as Brazil’s 159 million registered voters prepare to cast their ballots.
Flávio’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence, under house arrest, for plotting a coup after losing to Lula in 2022. Flávio has promised to free him if elected.
