Lula Seeks Bolsonaro Disqualification Over Alleged Meta Role

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign has called for right-wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro to be disqualified from the presidential election, accusing social media giant Meta of unfairly restricting its content and giving Bolsonaro’s campaign an advantage.

In a petition submitted to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Wednesday, Lula’s campaign alleged that Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, had limited the reach of its content while boosting Bolsonaro’s campaign.

Bolsonaro responded by filing a counter-petition seeking Lula’s disqualification. He accused the government of using WhatsApp to distribute official posts on a large scale to promote its agenda.

Meta has denied treating the two campaigns unequally.

The dispute follows concerns raised by United Nations experts over reports of differences in the campaigns’ ability to reach voters through Meta’s platforms. A report led by the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression urged the company to ensure fair treatment of candidates during the election.

The report highlighted alleged disruptions to one candidate’s campaign account, differences in audience engagement and content reach, and restrictions on Instagram posts. It also cited information suggesting that accounts associated with one side of the presidential race had been disproportionately restricted.

Meta has rejected claims that it favoured either candidate, saying it would comply with a Brazilian court order requiring equal treatment of Lula and Bolsonaro.

Lula’s campaign had previously lodged a complaint alleging that content and accounts associated with Bolsonaro were receiving increased exposure. Some users also reported that Meta’s artificial intelligence tools were failing to generate images related to Lula.

On Wednesday, Lula’s campaign asked the TSE to investigate Bolsonaro and his running mate, Alfredo Gaspar, over alleged abuse of economic power and improper use of social networks. The petition also seeks to bar Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years following the 2026 election.

Meanwhile, Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, accused Lula of abusing political and economic power. He alleged that the government had used personal data obtained from official databases to send mass WhatsApp messages promoting social programmes.

The allegations come as Brazil prepares for a closely contested presidential run-off on Sunday. Opinion polls suggest there is little separating the candidates, with approximately 159 million registered voters expected to take part.

Lula is seeking a fourth term in office, while Bolsonaro is attempting to secure the presidency after narrowly leading the first round of voting on 4 October. However, neither candidate secured the more than 50% of valid votes required to win outright.