On Sunday evening, the annual carnival parades kicked off at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, with the performance of one samba school, featuring sitting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the main character, sparking debates about whether the rules of the election campaign have been violated in an election year, LETA reports citing DPA.
The carnival in Rio lasts for three days.
During this time, extravagant floats move along the Sambadrome before thousands of spectators, with their creators striving to outdo each other in inventiveness and originality, while hundreds of dancers perform in sparkling costumes.
Each samba school chooses a theme for its performance, often related to Afro-Brazilian heritage, social or political issues, mythology, and environmental problems.
The samba school "Acadêmicos de Niterói" from the neighboring city of Niterói has decided to honor Lula, marking the first time that a sitting president is celebrated in the carnival parade at the Sambadrome.
As Lula intends to run for a fourth term in the upcoming presidential elections in October, opposition parties have challenged the parade in court, claiming it constitutes premature campaigning.
The Superior Electoral Court rejected attempts to stop the parade but warned that the carnival should not become a platform for illegal political propaganda.
According to Brazilian law, campaigning for a candidate is only allowed after official registration.
Calls to vote before this are prohibited and can result in fines or, in serious cases, the initiation of a case for abuse of political power.
Although Lula has announced his intention to run, he has not yet officially registered his candidacy.
Right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a sentence in prison, has declared his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, as his political heir and presidential candidate.
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