Kassio bans distribution of oil workers' union newspaper at Flávio Bolsonaro's request

At the request of presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), the president of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), Kassio Nunes Marques, suspended the distribution and circulation of the newspaper Petróleo dos Brasileiros, from Sindipetro Unificado (a union that represents oil workers in the states of São Paulo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and the Federal District).

The decision, confidential, was carried out last week. Flávio's campaign argues that the class entity's material, with the title "Election 2026: what does each project defend for Brazil?", was distributed on the eve of the first round with content "entirely dedicated to the presidential dispute, without any relation to the ordinary examination of public policies of interest to the professional category represented".

It also says that "the material has an unequivocal political-electoral purpose, as it establishes a systematically favorable comparison to the candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and unfavorable to the representative [Flávio Bolsonaro]".

In addition to ordering the suspension of circulation and distribution and removal of the material that was published on the internet, Kassio also ordered Sindipetro to collect the copies that had not yet been distributed and keep them stored and available to the TSE.

In the decision, the president of the TSE says that "nothing prevents the entity from informing its representatives about legislative proposals that have an impact on working conditions, nor from debating, in a critical tone, public policies in the oil sector", but "the legal order does not allow the union structure to be converted into a campaign instrument".

"I emphasize that the Political Parties Law expressly prohibits political parties from receiving directly or indirectly, in any form or pretext, pecuniary or estimable monetary contributions or assistance, including through advertising of any kind, from a trade union entity", said the minister.

In a statement, Sindipetro Unificado says that "the measure represents a serious attack on freedom of expression and the right to inform the population."

"The newspaper's proposal was to present to Brazilians what each political project defends for the future of Petrobras. Instead of publicly discussing the proposals for one of the most strategic companies in the country, the union now needs to comply with court orders that prevent the circulation of this content", says the statement.

"The episode raises a warning about the limits imposed on public debate in an election year. For Sindipetro Unificado, preventing the circulation of a publication dedicated to discussing the direction of Petrobras represents a curtailment of freedom of expression and the right to information.

According to the class entity, "the situation also refers to practices of restricting political debate that marked authoritarian periods in Brazilian history."

"The possibility of preventing the circulation of content about projects for the country raises a warning signal precisely when society needs more information, transparency and democratic debate", says the note.