Presidential Candidate Augusto Cury Accused of Illegal Social Media Boosting

Presidential candidate Augusto Cury is facing allegations of violating electoral legislation after a Meta ad library analysis revealed more than 60 ads supporting him were boosted by third parties. Under a 2019 resolution from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), only candidates, parties, and coalitions are permitted to pay for the promotion of electoral content, and such ads must be clearly identified with a tax ID and the phrase "propaganda eleitoral." The investigation found that 43 ads were removed by Meta for violating electoral rules, while 12 others were deleted, including three posted by Cury's daughter, Camila.

Sergio Lima, the marketing manager for Cury, stated that the campaign is operating according to electoral norms and claimed they have no knowledge of these boosts. He dismissed the allegations by suggesting that if the growth were fake, it would not be reflected in the polls. Cury recently saw a surge in social media presence, gaining nearly 2.5 million Instagram followers in two weeks, and currently holds 8 percent of voting intentions according to Datafolha, placing him third behind Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.

Legal experts Ana Fuliaro and Diogo Rais stated that the practice is irregular. They noted that violations can result in fines between 5,000 and 30,000 reais, or double the amount spent. Both experts warned that if the boosting is severe enough to unbalance the election, it could be classified as an abuse of economic power, which could potentially lead to the disqualification of the candidate if they win the election.