By Ricardo Luiz
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the body that oversees the country's elections, has moved forward with a case examining possible abuse of political power by the ticket of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party (PT), and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). The complaint was filed by the Novo party and accepted by the court's electoral inspector-general (corregedor), Minister Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva.
35 government measures in the election year
The investigation targets a package of 35 actions carried out by the federal government in 2026, the year of the election. According to Novo, the initiatives expanded benefits for the population and could give the presidential ticket an electoral advantage.
Among the measures questioned are the increase in Bolsa Família, the government's cash-transfer program for low-income families, and the expansion of fuel subsidies. The party argues that the use of public administration resources could amount to using the government machinery for the benefit of the ticket.
The comparison with 2023–2025
Novo compared what was announced in 2026 with what the government did between 2023 and 2025. According to the party's survey, the election year alone saw as many actions as the previous three years combined. For Novo, the figure points to a strategic concentration of measures with electoral impact.
In other words, the argument is that a government that spent three years in no hurry sped up as the vote approached. That is the thesis the defense now has to answer.
Alckmin also in the spotlight
The inspector-general ordered that those under investigation be notified and present their defense within five days. Alckmin may be investigated for his participation in official events at which some of the initiatives were presented.
It is an early stage. The case moving forward is not a conviction, and the defense has yet to respond. The source does not say what the government or the ticket have said about the allegations.
What happens next
With the deadline running, the next step is the response from those under investigation to the inspector-general. After that, the TSE will decide whether the inquiry advances and how. The outcome could shape the debate over where the line falls between public policy and use of the government machinery during an election period.
Why it matters
Abuse of political power is a recognized ground for challenging candidacies in Brazilian electoral law, and the TSE is the court that decides such cases at the national level. The case targets the sitting president and vice president as they seek another term, which gives it weight well beyond the legal dispute itself.
VDD Analysis
When the number of popular measures in a single year equals that of three whole years, it is legitimate for the Electoral Court to ask why. Voters expect benefits to be state policy, not a calling card during campaign season. It is up to the government to explain, transparently, why so much generosity appeared only now, at the taxpayer's expense.
