Brazil's presidential race has intensified sharply in its final days as incumbent leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's campaign formally requested the disqualification of right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro. The legal challenge, submitted to the nation's Superior Electoral Court on Wednesday, accuses tech conglomerate Meta of tipping the scales in favor of the conservative candidate ahead of Sunday's decisive second-round runoff.
Lula's legal filing asks that Bolsonaro and his vice-presidential running mate be investigated for alleged abuses of economic power and the improper use of digital platforms. The petition further urges the electoral tribunal to bar Bolsonaro from running for public office for an eight-year period.
The core of the complaint targets Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The incumbent's campaign alleges that the tech giant artificially suppressed pro-government material while amplifying the visibility of the challenger. Demonstrators gathered outside Meta's regional office in Sao Paulo earlier in the week to protest perceived technological interference in the democratic process.
In retaliation, the Bolsonaro campaign lodged its own petition with electoral authorities, seeking to disqualify Lula. The challenger argued that his left-wing opponent engaged in an unfair advantage by unlawfully utilizing official government databases to blast mass promotional messages regarding social programs via WhatsApp.
Meta has firmly rejected assertions of bias, maintaining that its platforms apply policies neutrally across all political movements. Representatives for the tech firm stated they would fully adhere to any directives issued by Brazilian judicial authorities regarding equal treatment for both contenders.
The controversy escalated further when United Nations human rights experts voiced alarm over apparent disparities in digital visibility between the competing camps. A specialized UN report noted troubling indicators, including unexplained reductions in audience reach, disrupted account stability, and technical hurdles involving artificial intelligence features that allegedly hindered users from generating imagery associated with Lula.
The high-stakes electoral showdown follows an initial round of voting held on October 4, in which Bolsonaro secured a slim lead over Lula but failed to achieve the absolute majority required for an outright victory. With approximately 159 million citizens registered to vote, recent polling indicates an exceptionally tight race as the nation approaches the final ballot.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
