The (Superior Electoral Court) rejected, in a unanimous decision, this Thursday (12) two requests for representation for early electoral propaganda against the president (), the PT (Workers’ Party) and Acadêmicos de Niterói, which will hold a parade in honor of the PT member during Carnival.
The case’s rapporteur, Ana Estela Aranha, who was appointed to the electoral court by Lula, rejected the actions on the grounds that “previously restricting artistic and cultural manifestations simply because there is news of political demonstrations, would constitute prior, indirect censorship and a disproportionate restriction on democratic debate, even if there were signs of a possible future”.
Aranha was followed by the president of the TSE, Cármen Lúcia, and by ministers André Mendonça, Antonio Carlos Ferreira, Villas Bôas Cueva and Floriano de Azevedo Marques.
In the requests, the Novo and Missão parties argued that the Rio de Janeiro school carried out essays “in clear support of the declared candidate for re-election” and that the sambo-plot brings “electoral” elements with “unequivocal potential to benefit” Lula, among them, the PT ballot box number –13.
The captions asked that Acadêmicos de Niterói be banned from singing what they classified as a “campaign jingle” and that Lula be prevented from attending the parade at Rio’s sambadrome. The PT member will be at the event, on Carnival Sunday, February 15th.
