TV Globo cancelled its presidential debate on October 1 after TSE minister Estela Aranha and STF minister Gilmar Mendes issued rulings that changed the format, leaving voters without the broadcast just three days before the first round. The courts prohibited an empty podium for Lula, ordered Renan Santos included and barred directed questions. Lula had already withdrawn. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro then pulled out, calling the TSE’s intervention “censorship.” Globo said the rulings created “legal uncertainty.”
Who Sets the Terms
The cancellation put judicial power over a nationally watched campaign event in sharp view. The account noted that the 2018 and 2022 elections had left a legacy of suspicion about judicial power. Court orders shifted the debate’s format, while the leading candidates made their own decisions about whether to appear. Voters got no debate. They heard competing claims about who set the rules.
Lula chose the Flow Podcast over TV Globo’s final debate. O Dia reported that the interview had drawn 1.6 million views on the show’s channel. Lula called Senator Flávio Bolsonaro a “vira-lata,” or mongrel, and said, “He has no past, no present, no future. He never worked in his life.” Brasil de Fato reported that Lula also said, “My adversary is a vira-lata. He sent his brother to the US to speak ill of Brazil.” The brother is former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro. Opera Mundi linked the remark to tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Brazil; accounts differed on whether Lula’s “traitor to the homeland” jibe targeted Flávio or Eduardo.
The Complaint and Its Limits
On Thursday, 1 October, the Office of the Attorney General of the Union (AGU), the government’s legal arm, asked the Federal Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate a reported US$1 million U.S. grant for groups opposed to Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court. The AGU said public funds may support groups seeking “to delegitimise the Supreme Federal Court,” allegedly “under the alleged pretext of fighting censorship and judicial abuses.” It warned of possible “external interference” and said investigators should identify any Brazilian recipients if they prove the funding.
That complaint doesn’t prove the grant reached anyone in Brazil. G1 said the report named no Brazilian beneficiary and confirmed no transfer; Washington was still reviewing the grant. The State Department said programmes were in “active deliberation” and would undergo “a standard and rigorous vetting process.” Prosecutors may open an inquiry or shelve the complaint. Jorge Messias, head of the AGU, called the report “an important alert for Brazilian sovereignty,” but the AGU represents the government. Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet leads the independent public prosecution service and decides on criminal inquiries. Criticism of the Supreme Court is legal in Brazil. The AGU’s stated concern was foreign funding of that campaign.
Ballots, Markets and Outside Voices
President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was following Brazil’s election “very closely,” without naming a candidate or declaring support. In September, Brazil’s intelligence agency, ABIN, flagged a risk of U.S. influence or interference in the 2026 election. The vote was scheduled for Sunday, 4 October, whether or not prosecutors opened an inquiry.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei said he hoped “my friend Flávio Bolsonaro” would win and carry out “the liberal clean-up the country needs.” His endorsement carried no formal weight in the vote. Datafolha’s latest poll put Lula at 45% of valid votes and Flávio Bolsonaro at 40%; a runoff was scheduled for 25 October if no candidate won more than half. Datafolha found that 82% of voters called their choice final, while 45% rejected each front-runner.
Away from the campaign stage, Brazil’s S&P Global manufacturing PMI fell to 44.8 from 46.3, its weakest reading since April 2023. The Ibovespa rose 0.46% in the last session, while a firmer U.S. dollar put pressure on the real. The account covers court orders, government requests for investigations and campaign claims; it offers no account of a grassroots or mutual-aid response. The first-round vote remains scheduled for 4 October.