The Workers' Party (PT) coalition supporting Fernando Haddad's bid for São Paulo governor has asked the state's electoral court to prevent Senatorial candidate Ricardo Salles from using a campaign bus adorned with a sticker reading "Fora Lula!" and a drawing of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva dressed as a prisoner, according to Folha de S.Paulo.
Legal argument
The bus, part of Salles' Senate campaign, has been touring the interior of São Paulo since last week, making stops in cities such as Mogi das Cruzes and Limeira. The coalition contends the vehicle operates as a moving billboard that breaches electoral advertising regulations, which permit only small stickers under 0.5 square meters on vehicles and forbid combining pieces to create a billboard effect.
The filing states: "Electoral advertising in motor vehicles is authorized by law solely in the specific and exceptional case of a sticker not exceeding 0.5 m², being still prohibited the juxtaposition of pieces, a prohibition that exists to prevent, by means of private property, the outdoor effect." It adds that Salles "circulates with his motorized billboard, illicitly traversing the entire state of São Paulo."
Image context
The image of Lula as a prisoner reproduces the so‑called "pixuleco," a caricature that became famous during pro‑Lava Jato protests in the previous decade. The coalition requests that the bus be barred from circulating and that any videos of it posted on social media be removed.
Salles' defence
In response to the Folha report, Salles said he is backed by a 3 August ruling of Brazil's Superior Tribunal de Justiça, which determined that political criticism of authorities is protected by the Constitution.
Political background
Fernando Haddad, the former mayor of São Paulo and the PT's 2018 presidential candidate, leads the centre‑left Workers' Party ticket for the São Paulo state government. Ricardo Salles, a former federal environment minister under Jair Bolsonaro, is running for the Senate under the liberal Novo party.
Broader implications
The dispute highlights the tension between campaign freedom and electoral regulations in Brazil's polarized political climate, particularly as the country approaches the October general elections. Both sides frame the issue as a clash over the limits of political expression versus the need for fair campaign rules.