The TV Globo network canceled its planned presidential debate just under an hour before it was set to begin, citing last-minute judicial rulings that disrupted the event’s organization. The decision came after a series of court orders from the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) and the Supreme Federal Court (STF) altered the debate’s structure and participation rules.
In a statement, Globo said the “successive judicial decisions taken moments before the debate created legal uncertainty and represented an improper interference in the freedom of the press to organize electoral debates.” The network added that these conditions forced it to cancel the event.
Two Key Rulings Triggered the Cancellation
First, TSE Minister Estela Aranha ordered Globo not to show an empty chair for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who chose not to participate. She also barred other candidates from directing questions to him during the debate. The ruling followed a request from Lula’s campaign, which had announced his absence to attend a podcast instead.
Later, STF Minister Gilmar Mendes ruled that Globo should include the candidate Renan Santos (Missão) in the debate. The minister attended to a request made by the Solidariedade party. Gilmar Mendes determined that Renan be inserted in the vacancy opened by the withdrawal of the candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), “under the same conditions of time, questions, and position assured to the other participants, with the broadcaster allowed to make necessary adaptations in the event’s trends.” The minister considered that “the behavior of Rede Globo itself in including the candidate Renan Santos (Missão) in previous negotiations regarding candidate exposure events generated a legitimate expectation of his participation in the debate, especially when considering that the candidate is currently in a virtual third place in the electoral polls conducted. There is, in this particular case, contradictory behavior from the broadcaster responsible for organizing the debate (venire contra factum proprium), in clear violation of the principle of objective good faith (CC, art. 187).”
The Missão party had filed a complaint with the STF, linked to a case involving the removal of content about former prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol’s alleged ineligibility. Mendes’ ruling overturned a decision by TSE President Nunes Marques, who had denied Missão’s inclusion request in a previous case.
Other Candidates Also Pulled Out
Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) announced his withdrawal from the debate shortly before Globo’s cancellation, citing “censorship” imposed by the TSE. He criticized the court‘s interference, stating that “the press must be free and elections must be clean.” His decision came after TSE President Nunes Marques had earlier determined that Romeu Zema (Novo) should participate in the debate, now canceled.
Globo’s cancellation leaves Brazil’s presidential race without a major televised debate ahead of the October 30 runoff.
