Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro meet in the runoff after the 4 October first round, which Flávio Bolsonaro won with 47.03% against 45.15% for Lula da Silva.
Meta blocked the campaign from paying to promote its Instagram posts for about 24 hours on 9 and 10 October, and the campaign estimates around 1.3 million people did not see the ads.
On Thursday, 22 October, Bernie Sanders and congressmembers including Delia Ramírez wrote to Mark Zuckerberg about interference concerns in the Brazilian election.
The avatar posing as a 22-year-old Flávio Bolsonaro supporter was AI-generated, while the latest Quaest poll gives Lula da Silva 44% of female voters against 37% for Bolsonaro.
Brazil's presidential runoff between Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro takes place on Sunday, 25 October, three weeks after the first round of 4 October. Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in that round with 47.03% of the vote, ahead of Lula da Silva on 45.15%. Surveys cited by the sources describe a technical tie between the two candidates. Expresso reports that several right-wing figures are declaring their vote for Lula da Silva while still criticising his government, and that the outcome may hinge on silent voters. The wider election calendar also includes Israel's vote on 27 October, the US midterms on 3 November and Spain's vote on 29 November.
Data from the article text
Lula da Silva's campaign says Meta disabled its advertising account on 23 September, 11 days before the first round, citing only a vague claim that "some activities" broke platform rules. The account was later restored. Between 9 and 10 October, Meta also blocked the campaign from paying to promote posts on its Instagram account for about 24 hours. Citing a campaign estimate, the sources say around 1.3 million people did not see those ads. Folha de São Paulo reported internal Meta communications suggesting the company knew of the restrictions, and that staff were aware of algorithmic recommendations promoting Flávio Bolsonaro's profile and a WhatsApp channel linked to his campaign, a practice Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) prohibits. Meta has admitted "recurring failures", according to Diário de Notícias, while the Workers' Party has denounced an alleged Meta bias in Flávio Bolsonaro's favour to the electoral justice system.
On Thursday, 22 October, Bernie Sanders and several Democratic members of Congress, including Delia Ramírez, Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib and Jesús G. "Chuy" García, sent a letter to Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg asking for explanations about the platform's interference in the Brazilian election. The lawmakers argue the problem is not limited to Brazil, pointing to the suspension of the No Kings account in mid-October. They wrote in the final stretch before the US midterm elections, which fall on 3 November. The letter was published one week before that vote, while the Brazilian runoff is set for 25 October.
La Razón reports that "Julia Cortez", a blonde woman presented as a 22-year-old supporter of Flávio Bolsonaro, does not exist and is an AI-generated avatar. The influencer Guga Figueiredo exposed the account, whose videos had circulated widely in the final weeks of the campaign. According to the outlet, the avatar was designed to simulate female support for the candidate, since the latest Quaest poll gives Lula da Silva 44% of women's backing against 37% for Bolsonaro. It was also meant to attract young voters and to send followers to a paid pornographic account on Telegram. Meta suspended the avatar's Instagram account after the deception came to light, but its videos keep circulating. No link to Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign has been established, and who was behind the avatar has not been confirmed.
Data from the article text
Diário de Notícias describes a campaign fought mostly on social media, where the left sought to narrow an online advantage the right had built. Lula da Silva's campaign shifted toward short videos and direct language, and the candidate promised at a rally:
“I am going to become the selfie king.”
André Janones, a pro-Lula deputy, created the Army of Lula group on WhatsApp, and Nikolas Ferreira, a Bolsonaro-aligned deputy, answered with a group called Flávio's Troop. Flávio Bolsonaro also gained the backing of most right-wing parties that had previously stayed neutral, as well as some leading candidates defeated on 4 October. In a debate, Lula da Silva said he was willing to lift his and his family's bank secrecy and challenged the senator to do the same. The runoff takes place on Sunday, 25 October.
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Brazil's presidential runoff on Sunday, 25 October, is being fought largely online, where Meta's handling of campaign ads and an AI-generated female supporter have drawn complaints from both camps.
AI text based on reports by Jornal Expresso, eldiario.es, PÚBLICO and other publishers. Published .