Lula and Bolsonaro seek to disqualify each other ahead of Brazil runoff

Ahead of Brazil’s October 25 presidential runoff, Flavio Bolsonaro has asked the Superior Electoral Court to annul Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s candidacy, accusing him of abusing his power by using WhatsApp to circulate government messages promoting programmes and benefits. The petition also seeks an eight-year ban from public office for Lula and Social Communications Minister Sidonio Palmeira. Lula’s campaign, meanwhile, plans to seek Bolsonaro’s disqualification, alleging that Meta manipulated its algorithms to damage Lula’s chances. The electoral court gave Meta 24 hours to prove it treats both campaigns equally, threatening a daily fine of about $200,000.