Brazil Electoral Court Suspends Renan Santos Campaign Over Unregistered Profiles

The Brazilian Electoral Court has suspended Renan Santos's presidential campaign due to late registration of social media profiles. The decision, issued on August 30, bars the campaign from online ads, public funding, and debates, citing accounts registered 12 days late. Santos faces fines of up to R$50,000 per post or debate appearance, and R$10,000 per hour for platforms maintaining the profiles.

The campaign's online access and participation in debates are also suspended. Santos calls the order "absolutely unjust and illegal," while Flávio Bolsonaro decries it as censorship. The court's decision affects both the main ticket and Democrat candidate Wilson Grassi, who also registered profiles late. Brazilian electoral law requires candidates to declare every site, blog, and social account they will use, with pre-existing accounts allowed to campaign only 48 hours after being noted.

The Santos ticket registered just two addresses on August 7, but only disclosed 18 profiles on August 19. Toffoli, the court's president, deemed the delay a "strategic omission." The court's previous decision to pull the ticket from the agenda two days prior cited irregularities. Santos plans to appeal the decision, alleging political persecution linked to his activism against Banco Master scandal.

Two other campaigns also faced similar measures on the same day, with fines for undeclared profiles and electioneering.