The Niterói Academic School’s tribute to the president (PT) in an election year is considered inappropriate by 71% of voters, according to a survey. For 25% of those interviewed, it is adequate, while 4% were unable to answer.
This is what a survey by the institute carried out in person with 2,004 people aged 16 and over, from March 3 to 5, in 137 municipalities, points out. The general margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points, and the confidence level is 95%. It is registered with the (Superior Electoral Court) under number BR-03715/2026.
Among (PL) voters in the 2022 presidential race, the opinion that the tribute is inappropriate for the period leading up to the elections was the majority. In total, 94% considered the presentation inappropriate, compared to 4% who approved it. The remainder (2%) did not know how to answer.
The tribute was also considered inappropriate by 49% of those interviewed who declared having voted for Lula in the last general elections — another 46% of PT voters thought it was appropriate and 4% did not respond.
The parade’s allegories addressed Lula’s trajectory and used elements that alluded to the right and the opposition. Bolsonaro, for example, was shown imprisoned and dressed as the clown Bozo.
There was also the “preserved family” section, which featured images of families printed on food cans. The fantasy was considered a criticism of defenders of supposedly traditional family structures. The topic is on the agenda of conservative groups.
The institute also questioned interviewees about the allegory and formulated three possible answers.
The first group, who said they were personally offended by the fantasy, represented 17% of the total number of respondents (among Lula voters in 2022, 5%, and Bolsonaro, 34%).
Those who did not feel offended on a personal level, but thought that the content could offend other people, accounted for 26% of the total respondents (25% among PT voters, and 29% among those of the former president).
Another 9% of the general sample did not consider the “preserved family” offensive to themselves or other people (among those who voted for the current head of the Executive, the rate was 16%; of Bolsonaro voters, 3%).
In the cuts that take into account the declaration of vote in the second round of the 2022 elections, the maximum margin of error considered is 4 percentage points.
The survey also segmented voters by religion. The tribute was considered inappropriate for 83% of evangelicals and appropriate for 13%. Inadequacy for Catholics was also the majority, but lower, with 67%, while 28% considered it adequate. The portions of these groups that were unable to respond were, respectively, 3% and 4%.
The margin of error for segmentations based on the religion of those interviewed by Datafolha is 3 percentage points for Catholics and 4 points for evangelicals.
The choice of plot was the target of protests from the opposition and was even questioned by the TSE even before the parade. The Partido Novo and Missão presented representations for early electoral propaganda, which resulted in injunctions.
The rapporteur, Minister Estela Aranha, understood that measures taken before the parade could constitute “prior, indirect censorship and disproportionate restriction on democratic debate”. According to her, the legislation requires an explicit request for a vote to configure electoral abuse, which cannot be configured before the presentation itself. Aranha mentioned, however, a “”.
The president of the court, minister Cármen Lúcia, also warned: “It doesn’t seem like a scene of white sand on a beach, it looks more like quicksand. Whoever enters, enters knowing that they could sink.”
Lula, who is a pre-candidate for re-election, followed the parade, in the box at Rio de Janeiro City Hall.
After the parade, the PL called the TSE to investigate the parade, seeking to gather elements for a future action to abuse political and economic power.
The group performed on Sunday, February 15, the first day of the Special Group parades. It was the school’s debut in the category, which is considered the first division in Rio. Adding 264.6 points in the nine aspects evaluated, Acadêmicos de Niterói was relegated and must compete in the Gold Series in 2027.
In a note following the results of the investigation, the school claimed to suffer “persecution from managers of the Rio Carnival itself”, citing what it called “attempts to directly interfere with our artistic autonomy, with requests to change the plot, questions about the samba lyrics and other actions that sought to frame and silence us”.
