With the inauguration of minister Kassio Nunes Marques as president of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) this week and , the three seats destined for the STF (Supreme Federal Court) will be occupied by ministers who work or have worked directly in the Master Case, a topic that tends to occupy a central space in the political debate of this year’s elections.
Dias Toffoli debuted at the TSE as a full member last Thursday (14) replacing Cármen. He was rapporteur of the Master Banks case at the STF until mid-February, when he left the case due to intensified pressure following revelations about personal and financial links with Daniel Vorcaro and funds associated with the bank.
The minister, who in the Supreme Court declared himself a suspect and has not participated in the trials on the subject, will have to decide whether the TSE will be different or whether he will also protect himself in the actions that arise.
Minister André Mendonça, who took office as vice-president of the TSE this week, is the current rapporteur of the case at the STF. Kassio Nunes Marques, in turn, is part of the Second Panel, the panel responsible for judging the case, and has voted to endorse Mendonça’s latest decisions on searches, seizures and preventive arrests.
During the election period, the TSE is responsible for analyzing requests to remove content, suspend advertising and grant rights of reply. With the Banco Master case at the center of the political dispute, the expectation is that ministers will be called upon to decide on issues related to the subject also from the perspective of electoral propaganda and disinformation.
The PT, for example, has already dubbed the case “Bolso Master” and has explored on social media the revelation that Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) asked for money from Daniel Vorcaro to finance the production of a film about his father.
On the other side, the PL is exploring the legal consultancy contract that the office of Lula’s former minister Ricardo Lewandoski had with the bank, in addition to trying to promote the slogan “The pix belongs to Bolsonaro; the Master belongs to Lula”.
As shown by CNN Brazilthe new composition of the Court, especially in relation to confronting fake news during the campaign. Behind the scenes, leaders assess that the party’s expectations regarding the new TSE are “diametrically opposed” to those of other political sectors.
Although they recognize Kassio Nunes Marques as an accessible profile with good political influence, PT members are concerned about the stance that the new administration will adopt in the face of the dissemination of fake news on social media.
With Kassio in the presidency and Mendonça in the vice-presidency, this will be the first election led in the TSE by ministers appointed to the STF by former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Despite this, the composition of the court also brings together names nominated by Dilma Rousseff to the STJ and a historical ally of Alexandre de Moraes.
The two vacancies reserved for STJ ministers are occupied by Antonio Carlos Ferreira and Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, both nominated by Dilma Rousseff to the court in 2011. Among the jurists nominated by President Lula are Estela Aranha and Floriano de Azevedo Marques.
Floriano has been considered a close ally of Alexandre de Moraes for decades. He has been a member of the TSE since 2023 and was reappointed by Lula. Estela Aranha served in Cármen Lúcia’s office during the minister’s presidency at the court before being chosen for the Electoral Court.
