BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Published Wednesday, 21 October, 12:35 a.m. ET · Source: Poder360, Jornal de Brasília, Jovem Pan
Key Facts
- The country Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, elects its president in a runoff on Sunday 25 October between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
- What happened On Tuesday 20 October, Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign filed a complaint with the electoral court (TSE) against Lula over government WhatsApp messages.
- The claim The campaign says the government used official data to send personalised messages about welfare programmes, which it calls abuse of political and economic power.
- What it asks A court order to stop new messages and the cancellation of Lula’s candidacy.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- Prediction markets Polymarket gives Flávio Bolsonaro about an 80% chance of winning the runoff (21 October, 12:12 a.m. ET). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 80% and Kalshi at 82% (Lula: 21% and 20%), as of 21 October, 12:20 am ET; prices are bets, not polls.
- Still open The court has not ruled, and no reply from the government or Lula’s campaign was available.
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
Brazil Runoff 2026: Lula vs Flávio
Date, polls, debates, odds and how the runoff works, updated every day.
Brazil election 2026 · Brazil election polls · Brazil election odds · Brazil runoff date and results start · Brazil election results · Brazil Election Data Room · All election stories
The campaign of Flávio Bolsonaro, senator for Rio de Janeiro and the conservative Liberal Party (PL) candidate, asked Brazil’s electoral court to cancel President Lula’s candidacy on Tuesday 20 October. The filing, reported from about 8:30 p.m. ET, targets mass WhatsApp messages the government sent about social programmes ahead of the Brazil election 2026 runoff.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president and the Workers’ Party (PT) candidate, faces Flávio on Sunday 25 October. The complaint went to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which runs the vote and judges campaign disputes.
What the Campaign Alleges
The campaign says the federal government used official data from the Gov.br portal, the social security agency INSS and the federal tax authority to send personalised WhatsApp messages, Jornal de Brasília reported. The messages promote programmes such as Bolsa Família, the monthly welfare payment for poor families, and Farmácia Popular, the subsidised pharmacy scheme.
The petition argues that using state data this way breaks the principle that public bodies may use personal data only for the purpose it was collected, Jornal de Brasília reported. Jovem Pan quoted it as saying no opposition candidate has access to such resources.
What the Campaign Wants From the Court
The campaign seeks an urgent order to suspend new messages and to replace the profile picture of the government’s “GovBR” WhatsApp account with a neutral official identification. It also asks the court to cancel Lula’s candidacy, Poder360 and Jornal de Brasília reported.
Poder360 said the request also covers Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Lula’s running mate.
Electoral law bars institutional advertising of government programmes in the three months before an election, Poder360 reported, and the campaign says the messages broke that rule. The filing is a formal electoral investigation action, which can lead to a candidate losing the registration.
The Messaging Contract Behind the Case
The petition points to a government contract running from 2021 to December 2026 that is projected at about 170 million notifications a month, Jovem Pan and Jornal de Brasília reported. It puts the cost at R$20.4 million a year (about US$4.1 million at 5.02 reais per dollar, RT, 21 October).
These are the campaign’s figures and claims, not findings by the court. Poder360 said the Lula campaign did not respond to its request for comment by publication time.
What It Means for US Readers
If you hold Brazilian stocks, bonds or US-listed shares of Brazilian companies, a legal fight this close to the vote can add to price swings. Our Brazil election odds page tracks how traders price the race.
If you follow US politics or trade, the winner sets Brazil’s course with Washington for the next four years. A ruling before Sunday would have to come very quickly.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, an online prediction market, bettors give Flávio Bolsonaro an 80% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 20.5% (21 October, 12:12 a.m. ET). The “Brazil Presidential Election” market has drawn about US$189.9 million in total bets.
These are bets, not polls, and they can move fast on news.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 80% · Lula 20.5% (US$190 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 82% · Lula 20%
As of 21 October, 12:20 am ET (05:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether the court will grant the urgent order before the vote. Neither the government nor Lula’s campaign had answered the claims in the reports we reviewed.
The reports do not say how many messages were sent after the legal ban began, or how many voters received them. Only the court can decide whether the messages broke the law.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign go to the electoral court?
It says the Lula government used official data to send mass WhatsApp messages about social programmes. It calls this abuse of political and economic power.
What does the campaign want the TSE to do?
It wants new messages suspended at once and Lula’s candidacy cancelled. It also asks for a neutral profile picture on the government’s WhatsApp account.
Has the court ruled on the complaint?
Not in the reports we reviewed, which were published on the night of Tuesday 20 October. The claims are allegations until the court decides.
When is Brazil’s runoff?
Brazilians vote on Sunday 25 October, five days after the complaint was filed. The winner takes office as president for a four-year term.
Sources: Poder360, 20 October 2026; Jornal de Brasília, 20 October 2026; Jovem Pan, 20 October 2026; Polymarket, 21 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief