Lula-Alckmin Ticket Faces Flávio Bolsonaro Suit at Brazil’s Electoral Court
POLITICS · BRAZIL
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil holds its presidential first round on Sunday 4 October 2026, with a possible runoff on 25 October. President Lula seeks a fourth term; Senator Flávio Bolsonaro is his main challenger.
- —What happened On 28 September Flávio asked the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to cancel the Lula-Alckmin ticket’s registration over alleged use of the Culture Ministry in the campaign (Correio Braziliense, VEJA).
- —Who is involved Lula, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, Culture Minister Margareth Menezes and first lady Janja are named. Catholic bishops and an evangelical pastors’ council are fighting a parallel row over the patron saint.
- —What it means for you Voting dates and rules are unchanged. The suit is an allegation, not a ruling, and the TSE has set no date to hear it.
- —Still open When the TSE examines the suit, and whether the full Supreme Court (STF) reviews the dispute over saint-related posts on Wednesday 30 September.
Presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro on Monday asked Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to cancel the registration of the Lula-Alckmin ticket. The suit alleges that Culture Ministry staff and channels were used for President Lula’s re-election bid, Correio Braziliense and VEJA reported.
It lands amid a quarrel over Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil’s patron saint, five days before the vote. Bishops and pastors have joined on both sides.
What the Suit Alleges
The filing is an electoral investigation suit, the formal route for alleging campaign abuse of power. It also asks that everyone named, including Janja and Margareth Menezes, be barred from office.
Correio said the document runs to more than 40 pages. It cites an online event called “Culture Movement with Lula” and campaign messages in official ministry WhatsApp groups.
It quotes Janja saying she took part “as a militant, not as first lady”. It also cites a R$12 million (about US$2.3 million, at R$5.19 per dollar on 29 September) Carnival deal between tourism agency Embratur and Rio’s samba-school league.
None of the allegations has been tested in court, though the TSE last week ordered a Lula campaign video deleted at Flávio’s request. Such suits cut both ways: in August Lula’s campaign asked the TSE to cancel Flávio’s ticket over a rally, O Globo reported.
Bishops and Pastors Take Sides
On a Catholic podcast, SantoFlow, Flávio compared the false story that he wanted to demote the saint to his father’s 2018 stabbing. “I can consider this fake news a kind of stab against me,” he said, Correio Braziliense and g1 reported.
The false claim drew on a bill by another politician, shelved almost 20 years ago.
Bishop Roberto Francisco Ferreira Paz of Campos, a member of the CNBB bishops’ conference, targeted a real pledge instead. Flávio has promised to decree that Brazil belongs to “the Lord Jesus Christ”.
The bishop called the idea “dangerous” in comments to Folha de S.Paulo, relayed by Diário do Centro do Mundo. “The State has no faith,” he said, adding that it must guarantee religious freedom for all.
He spoke for himself, not the conference, which on Sunday denied that insiders spread the false story, as The Rio Times reported on Monday.
An evangelical body, the Interdenominational Council of Evangelical Ministers of Brazil (Cimeb), accused Lula of promoting a “religious war”. Its note, published by pastor Silas Malafaia, said Catholics and evangelicals “live in peace”, Metrópoles and CNN Brasil reported.
At a Lula rally in Belém on Monday, Janja said her side wanted to end betting while “the other side wants an end to the patron saint”. Poder360 wrote that she was riding the false story again; Flávio denies any such plan.
What the Polls Show
A Quaest poll for the Globo group, taken from 24 to 27 September, caught voters at the height of the row. Among Catholics, Lula rose from 43% to 48% in the first round, while Flávio edged up from 27% to 29%.
Among evangelicals, Lula rose from 23% to 27% and Flávio slipped from 49% to 46%, Estado de Minas and Valor reported. The margins of error are three points for Catholics and four for evangelicals.
The poll shows movement during the row, not proof that the row caused it. Across all voters, the same Quaest poll had the two men tied at 42% in a runoff.
The stakes explain the fight over one saint. Brazil’s 2022 census counted 56.7% Catholics and 26.9% evangelicals, against 65.1% and 21.6% in 2010.
What Is Not Yet Known
The TSE has not said when it will examine the suit against the Lula-Alckmin ticket, or whether it will act before Sunday. Separately, Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux on Monday night restored an order to remove the false posts, O Globo and g1 reported.
Court president Edson Fachin is expected to take the case to the full court on Wednesday, O Globo, Folha de S.Paulo and CNN Brasil reported. The first round stays on 4 October.
Sources: Correio Braziliense (suit, 28 Sep 2026); Correio Braziliense (podcast, 28 Sep); Diário do Centro do Mundo relaying Folha de S.Paulo (bishop, 28 Sep); Metrópoles (Cimeb note, 28 Sep); Poder360 (Janja, 28 Sep); Estado de Minas (Quaest, 28 Sep); O Globo (Barretos suit, 29 Aug); IBGE 2022 census.
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