Lula’s presence at the Rio de Janeiro Sambadrome on Sunday put fresh attention on Brazil’s election calendar, after Academicos de Niteroi used its Carnival parade to tell the story of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—framing his life from poverty in Brazil’s northeast to his role as one of Latin America’s most prominent leaders. The glitzy celebration drew Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and their wives to the stands, even as critics argued the tribute crossed from cultural homage into campaign material too early for an election year.
The parade, staged by Academicos de Niteroi, focused on Lula’s trajectory and presented it as praise rather than satire, with floats, costumes and songs centered on his political rise. While Lula’s poll numbers have been “almost evenly split for months,” as described in the report, his allies portrayed the event as part of Carnival’s traditional pageantry and not an attempt to influence voters.
Lula himself described the night as emotional and said he was “very proud” to see Brazil shine during the parades. In a statement posted on his social media channels on Monday, Lula said, “I had the honor of watching the parades of Academicos de Niteroi, Imperatriz Leopoldinense, Portela and Estacao Primeira de Mangueira. Very emotional,” adding, “I am very proud to see Brazil shining like that for the whole world.” He also posted a message that referenced all of the samba schools that were on display earlier.
For the samba school’s leadership, the theme and message were shaped before the tribute was chosen. Parade organizer Tiago Martins, speaking as preparations unfolded in Niteroi, said directors wanted the parade’s theme to focus on Brazil’s northeast region, as it had in 2025, and that they later decided that Lula’s story suited that purpose “despite the legal risks.” Martins told The Associated Press that Academicos do Niteroi executives had traveled to Brasilia months earlier to present their vision to Lula, who accepted to receive the tribute, and Martins denied that the school’s lyrics, floats or costumes were intended as campaign material.
Lula and Alckmin watched the parade from the Rio de Janeiro City Hall box alongside Mayor Eduardo Paes. The report said Lula wore a white suit and a hat with a blue stripe referencing traditional Carnival revelers, and that revelers sang along with Lula’s historic campaign jingle, “ole, ole, ole, ola… Lula, Lula,” while Lula later left the box to take pictures on the Sambadrome floor without a feared mass boo from the stands.
Still, legal and political critics raised concerns about the timing and the president’s involvement in an environment where the electoral court has been closely watching. Campaign manager João Santana, who worked on Lula’s 2006 reelection bid, said Lula “does not foresee any electoral gains” from the tribute and warned it could alienate some moderate and evangelical voters who reject the connection between Carnival and politics. In a video published Thursday, Santana said, “The president and the first lady have dangerously approached this parade,” adding, “This could all backfire.”
Another analyst, Thomas Traumann, said the case’s primary legal hurdle would be whether Lula’s administration allowed a link between the tribute and the election. Traumann said the issue could gain traction if members of Lula’s Cabinet attended the parade while misusing public resources, including government-sponsored plane and hotel accommodations. He also said the potential penalties could include fines and the loss of free-air time during the campaign, which he described as important in a tight race in which Lula’s closest rival is Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and “the latest numbers suggest a tight race.”
Bolsonaro and allied parties said they would pursue the matter through Brazil’s electoral system. Flávio Bolsonaro said on social media on Monday that he would take the case to Brazil’s top electoral court against “(Lula’s) Workers’ Party crimes at the Sambadrome, with taxpayer’s money,” and for “the personal attacks against (Jair) Bolsonaro.” Right-leaning Partido Novo also said in a statement that it would request the court make Lula ineligible because of his association with the parade.
The legal fight also intersects with precedent from prior Carnival tributes. The report said that in 2003, when Lula was first in office, the samba school Beija Flor featured a float depicting him as a courageous politician fighting hunger, and that in 2012 the samba school Gavioes da Fiel also centered its parade on Lula. But it noted that the organizers’ challenge is sharper now because this is a sitting president in an election year with the electoral court paying close attention, while other recent Carnival political gestures may not involve the same level of direct official participation.
Academicos de Niteroi, for its part, said it worried about penalties and sought to prevent audience messages that could be viewed as electioneering. Martins and the school directed more than 3,000 revelers to refrain from making an “L” hand gesture—described as a historic reference to the left-wing leader—and also said participants were forbidden to tell the 80,000 spectators to vote for him. The report said right-leaning politicians attempted to block the parade before it took place, but that Brazil’s electoral court ruled on Thursday that stopping it would harm freedom of expression, while also saying it might still review whether electoral law was violated at the Sambadrome.
In a statement released Monday, Academicos de Niteroi said it was politically persecuted and heavily pressured by Carnival managers and conservatives since it chose Lula as its theme. The school said it faced “attempts of direct interference in our artistic autonomy,” including requests to change its theme and questioning of its song’s lyrics, while adding, “They failed,” and “Even when under pressure, we did not bend.”
As the case potentially moves toward additional scrutiny, the report said that within months, the electoral court’s leadership will pass to Supreme Court Justice Kássio Nunes, appointed by Lula’s foe and predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who was a Carnival critic during his presidency.