Lula Faces Political Blowback in Brazil Over Carnival Parade Row

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(Bloomberg) — A Carnival parade honoring Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took a controversial turn on Monday, as opposition leaders argue the tribute amounted to improper campaigning for the leftist incumbent.

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Lula, as the president is known, is running for an unprecedented fourth term in office in a first-round vote set for October.

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The Sunday night parade in Rio de Janeiro morphed into a tribute to Lula organized by Academicos de Niteroi samba school. It depicted a theft of the presidential sash from Dilma Rousseff, Lula’s hand-picked successor after his first two terms, who was removed from office in 2016. It also portrayed Jair Bolsonaro, Lula’s far-right predecessor, as a clown. 

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A section of the parade featured people dressed in red and displayed a star, both well-known symbols of the president’s Workers Party. Revelers even performed a parade theme that praised the 80-year-old leader. “Without fearing tariffs and sanctions, this is how sovereignty is established!” they sang, in a reference to Lula’s confrontation last year with US President Donald Trump.

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Lula was present for the spectacle and joined in at one point.

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Carnival is the South American nation’s biggest multi-day celebration, known for high-energy music and dancing and held every year ahead of the Christian season of Lent.

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Even before the parade kicked off, two opposition political parties sought to block it, alleging it amounted to improper campaigning. The requests, filed by the Novo and Missao parties, were denied last week by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court. The judge ruled there was “no concrete evidence of an early electoral campaign” and stressed that the court should not act based only on the possibility of a future violation. But she left the door open to revisit the matter.

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While she attended as a spectator, Lula’s wife steered clear of joining the parade in an effort to avoid fueling any controversy, according to local media reports. Still, both Novo and Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son and currently Lula’s strongest election rival, announced they intend to mount a legal challenge. Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party argued in a post on X that the parade served as political speech boosting Lula while launching an “unacceptable attack” on the elder Bolsonaro.

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Novo, the party of Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema, also a potential presidential contender, wrote in another social media post that he will “seek Lula’s ineligibility over this shameful parade.”

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In a statement, Lula’s press office denied any misconduct, insisting that references to personal, political or historical events do not amount to any electoral violations. It also noted that challenges to the parade weren’t accepted by the court.

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Late last week, government officials released a statement advising public officials to avoid “any conduct that could be construed” as prohibited early campaigning.

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The legal punishment for early electioneering is a fine ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 reais, but it could be higher depending on the value of the improper propaganda. Early campaigning includes explicit or implicit requests for votes before the official mid-year start of the election season, according to electoral rules.

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