From The Rio Times · Carlos Silva · · 2m
Court Unlinks Lula's WhatsApp Channel
Brazil's electoral court allows Lula campaign to remove pro-Lula WhatsApp channel from official campaign.
In brief
Brazil's electoral court allows Lula campaign to remove pro-Lula WhatsApp channel from official campaign. Brazil's electoral court permits Lula's coalition to unlink the 'Exército do Lula' WhatsApp channel from its campaign, but the court has not yet determined if the channel is actually tied to the campaign…
Court Order
Brazil's electoral court president Kássio Nunes Marques authorized Lula's campaign coalition to unlink the 'Exército do Lula' WhatsApp channel from its campaign on Friday 16 October.
Channel Details
The channel, created by federal deputy Andrê Janones of Minas Gerais, has nearly 5 million followers and is at the center of a legal dispute eight days before the Brazil election 2026 runoff.
New Rules
The court added articles 33-E to 33-G to its campaign-propaganda resolution on Friday 16 October, listing when a messaging channel counts as linked to a campaign.
Coalition Argument
The coalition claims the channel receives no money, goods, or services from the campaign, coalition, or its parties and is not an official campaign structure or mass-messaging operation.
Bolsonaro's Claim
Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign alleged disinformation in the channel and requested the court to act against it, leading to the channel being suspended on Sunday 11 October.
Court Review
The court's technical unit reviewed posts from 2 to 11 October and found no posts repeating Bolsonaro's campaign allegations but noted polarizing language and signs of coordinated mobilization.
Prediction Markets
Prediction markets show Flávio Bolsonaro has a 77.5% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 23.5% (17 October, 12:31 a.m. ET).
Unclear Outcome
The court has not decided whether the channel is tied to the campaign, and neither candidate's campaign has replied to the order by early Saturday.
What It Means
The ruling affects US readers as WhatsApp is owned by Meta and the court's role in policing the final days of the campaign matters for investors.
Next Steps
The coalition requested the court to drop earlier orders that assumed a link and take the case to the full court, but the court has not yet specified when it will decide.
Key Facts
The order does not decide whether the channel is in fact tied to the campaign, which the court still has to assess, and the channel has nearly 5 million followers.
Power Index
Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
The key point
Brazil's electoral court permits Lula's coalition to unlink the 'Exército do Lula' WhatsApp channel from its campaign, but the court has not yet determined if the channel is actually tied to the campaign.
