Novo Party Seeks Annulment of Lula and Alckmin Candidacies Over Carnival Parade

The Novo party filed a legal action with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Saturday, February 8, seeking the annulment of the presidential ticket of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Geraldo Alckmin. The party alleges abuse of economic and political power, as well as the undue use of media, stemming from a Carnival parade by the Acadêmicos de Niterói samba school that honored President Lula. The petition requests that the candidates be declared ineligible for eight years.

According to the legal action, the parade was financed by approximately 9.6 million reais in public funds. These resources reportedly included 4 million reais from the Niterói city government, along with contributions from the Rio de Janeiro city government, the state government, and Embratur. Novo argues that the event functioned as an electoral promotion piece rather than a spontaneous cultural manifestation. The party points to references to government programs and criticisms of political opponents during the parade as evidence of this intent.

In February, the Lula administration stated that it did not provide public funds to Acadêmicos de Niterói and had no role in choosing the theme. The Palácio do Planalto also reportedly advised ministers not to participate in the parade to avoid legal challenges. Despite the controversy, the samba school was relegated in the carnival results.

Minister Antonio Carlos Ferreira will serve as the rapporteur for the case. If the process advances, the TSE may request documents from the Presidency and other entities and hear witness testimony. For a conviction to occur, the court must determine that the conduct was grave enough to affect the legitimacy and equality of the electoral competition.