A voter casts a presidential ballot on an electronic voting machine in Brasília. File photo, 2014. (Photo: Marri Nogueira/Agência Senado, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

BRAZIL · ELECTIONS

Published Friday, 16 October, 7:45 p.m. ET · Source: Superior Electoral Court (TSE) ruling, Brazilian press

Brazil’s top electoral court formed a majority on Friday 16 October to keep an order that bars Meta from limiting the reach of either candidate’s political content in the Brazil election 2026. The ruling backs a decision by Minister Marco Aurélio Bellizze, the auxiliary judge for election propaganda at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).

Meta, the US owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, must treat Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, a conservative senator for Rio de Janeiro, equally until the vote on Sunday 25 October. The runoff decides who runs Latin America’s largest economy, so a US platform’s reach rules are now a campaign issue, one that also moves Brazil election odds.

How the Court Majority Formed

The case is being judged in the TSE’s virtual plenary, where ministers register votes online. Ministers Floriano de Azevedo Marques, André Mendonça and Estela Aranha followed Bellizze, SBT News reported.

Bellizze had issued the order on Thursday 15 October after Lula’s coalition, Brasil Pronto pra Mais, complained that Meta failed to deliver its posts. The order was sent to the full court for confirmation, Gazeta do Povo reported.

The Superior Electoral Court in Brasília. File photo, 2025. (Photo: Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

What Meta Must Now Do

Meta may not cut the reach, recommendations, search results or metrics of either candidate’s political content, except under public rules applied equally, electoral rules or court orders, Gazeta do Povo reported. It also cannot disable campaign ad accounts or block boosted posts without human review, which must come within 2 hours if a machine made the restriction.

Within 24 hours, Meta must suspend election ads aimed at Brazilians that were not bought by candidates, parties or coalitions, including ads paid from abroad, Gazeta do Povo reported. It must restore paid promotion lost by Lula’s campaign by 21 October, and its Meta AI assistant must apply identical rules to both candidates.

What Meta and the Judge Said

Meta said on Friday that a gap in its AI safeguards let it create campaign images for Flávio while requests for Lula were refused, SBT News reported. The company says it fixed the flaw on 14 October and denies favouring any side.

Bellizze wrote that the ruling does not say Meta manipulated content for or against any candidate, Painel Político reported. The order is preventive, and SBT News reported that the merits will be examined after Meta’s defence and a new opinion from the electoral prosecutor.

What It Means for US Readers

A US company now faces daily fines from a Brazilian court nine days before the runoff. Investors who hold Meta shares should watch whether the court later finds fault, because that is a separate ruling still to come.

Anyone following Brazilian assets or US-Brazil trade can read this as a sign that the electoral court is policing platforms closely. Our earlier reports cover the first order and the internal Meta messages.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, an online prediction market, bettors give Flávio Bolsonaro a 77.6% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 22.5% (16 October, 7:34 p.m. ET). The “Brazil Presidential Election” market has seen about US$184.9 million in bets.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What Is Not Known

The court has not published the final vote count, and it is not known whether all seven ministers will vote. It is also unclear whether Meta will appeal or ask for changes before the runoff.

The judge has not found that Meta acted deliberately, and no ruling on the merits exists yet. Whether the measures change what voters see before 25 October cannot be measured today.

More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Brazil’s electoral court decide about Meta?

A majority of the Superior Electoral Court backed an order on Friday 16 October that Meta treat Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro equally. Meta faces a fine of R$500,000 (about US$99,000) a day if it does not comply.

Who must Meta treat equally in the Brazil runoff?

Meta must apply the same rules to the campaigns of President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro until the runoff on Sunday 25 October. This covers reach, recommendations, search results, metrics and its Meta AI assistant.

Did the court find that Meta favoured a candidate?

No. The judge wrote that the ruling does not say Meta manipulated content for or against any candidate, and the merits are still to be decided.

What is the TSE?

The TSE, or Superior Electoral Court, is Brazil’s top court for elections. It runs the vote and rules on campaign disputes.

When is Brazil’s presidential runoff?

Brazilians vote on Sunday 25 October between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. The winner takes office as president for a four-year term.

Sources: SBT News, 16 October 2026; SBT News, 15 October 2026; Gazeta do Povo, 16 October 2026; Notícias do Planalto, 16 October 2026; Painel Político, 16 October 2026; Polymarket, 16 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief