The inauguration of Kassio Nunes Marques and André Mendonça as president and vice-president of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) generated apprehension among PT members. According to research by political analyst Pedro Venceslau for the CNN 360ºthe new composition of the Court is viewed with concern by the party, especially with regard to combating disinformation during the electoral period.
According to Venceslau, the PT members’ expectations regarding the new formation of the TSE are “diametrically opposed” to those of other political sectors. Although they recognize that Kassio Nunes Marques has a profile open to dialogue and has a good presence in the political world — being known for widely receiving leaders at his residence —, party members have significant reservations about his future performance.
Fear regarding the fight against fake news
The main point of concern for PT members concerns the stance that the new president of the TSE will adopt towards social media. They remember that Alexandre de Moraes set up a robust structure in the court and acted proactively to prevent lies from circulating for a prolonged period during the electoral period. In the party’s opinion, fake news that remains on the networks for a long time can be highly harmful to a campaign.
The fear intensifies in the face of the growing use of artificial intelligence, which, according to the analysis presented by Venceslau, will be used in a much more sophisticated way in the next elections than in the 2022 elections. “No matter how much rules and protocols are created for , it is a very cheap and easy to use tool, so it is very simple for you to be able to put fake news on social media”, adds the analyst. Therefore, PT members expect the TSE to adopt an active stance — not only responding to complaints, but also proactively monitoring social media.
Expected maintenance of the structure created in 2022
PT members hope that Kassio Nunes Marques will maintain the structure set up at the TSE during the 2022 elections, with the aim of preventing the next election from being marked by . The central concern is that, without equally combative action, the electoral dispute could be contaminated by disinformation produced and amplified with the help of artificial intelligence.
