Politics · Brazil · 2 days ago
Lula campaign asks election court to void Flávio Bolsonaro’s ticket
Lula’s campaign has asked Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court to cancel the presidential ticket of Flávio Bolsonaro.
It alleges that Pablo Marçal’s large social media accounts are being used for campaign propaganda and false information without being registered as campaign accounts.
Marçal announced on September 29 that he was joining Flávio’s campaign, and Flávio publicly confirmed his support.
The campaign says unregistered accounts can still receive algorithmic recommendations that are restricted for official campaign profiles.
It also asks the court to suspend Marçal’s Instagram profile and block the B22token website, which offers cryptocurrency rewards for sharing election-related content.
Flávio’s campaign says Marçal is a political supporter, not part of its official structure, and denies links to the cryptocurrency site.
Marçal called the action an act of desperation and said he had not been notified about his posts.
The court has yet to consider the requests.
Lula’s campaign filed a case at Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court seeking to cancel Flávio Bolsonaro’s presidential ticket over the alleged misuse of Pablo Marçal’s social media accounts.
The campaign also asked the court to suspend Marçal’s Instagram profile and block the B22token website.
It argues that Marçal’s accounts became campaign channels after he publicly joined Flávio’s campaign on September 29, but were not registered as such with the electoral court.
The filing alleges that Marçal’s posts spread electoral propaganda and false or manipulated information about Lula.
Flávio’s campaign says Marçal is a political supporter, not part of its official structure, and denies links to B22token.
The court has yet to rule on the requests.
- Who
- Lula’s campaign filed the case against Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign, citing Pablo Marçal’s social media activity.
- What
- It asked the court to cancel Flávio’s ticket, suspend Marçal’s Instagram profile and block the B22token website.
- When
- The case was reported on October 9, 2026. Marçal announced he was joining Flávio’s campaign on September 29.
- Where
- At Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE); the posts and website are online.
- Why
- Lula’s campaign alleges misuse of social media, electoral disinformation and abuse of economic power.
Lula’s campaign
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign and Pablo Marçal
Nature of Marçal’s role
Lula’s campaign
The campaign argues his social media accounts function as campaign channels and should have been registered with the electoral court.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign and Pablo Marçal
Flávio’s campaign says Marçal is a publicly declared political supporter but is not part of its official structure.
B22token
Lula’s campaign
Lula’s campaign alleges the cryptocurrency site rewards electoral sharing and amounts to abuse of economic power.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign and Pablo Marçal
Flávio’s campaign denies any connection to the site.
Pablo Marçal does not form part of Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign structure; he is a publicly declared political supporter.
Desperation of the PT
PT desperation has gone beyond the ridiculous. I was a candidate, I am a free Brazilian and I owe no satisfaction to any gang. No notification about a post has arrived here.
The strategies adopted and challenged in the case repeat what Pablo Marçal already did in the 2024 election: using broad social media reach to spread disinformation and deepfakes.
Marçal announced at an event with Flávio that he was officially joining Flávio’s campaign, and Flávio confirmed the support.
Marçal posted an edited montage using audio from a 2016 conversation between Lula and Rio mayor Eduardo Paes.
Lula’s campaign’s request to cancel Flávio’s ticket and restrict Marçal’s online activity was reported.
- Instagram followers
- Marçal’s profile has 14.1 million followers.
- Court
- The case was filed at Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE).
- Cryptocurrency website
- B22token
- Joining campaign
- September 29
- Audio used in montage
- A 2016 conversation between Lula and Eduardo Paes
Sources
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