Flávio Bolsonaro seeks TSE probe of fake profiles while rallying party support

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the PL pre‑candidate for Brazil’s 2026 presidential election, asked the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE) to investigate a network of up to 20,000 fake social‑media accounts that have been used to boost attacks on him, Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and other right‑wing politicians. The campaign claims the accounts spent more than R$ 20 million on paid amplification, generating roughly 270 million views. Coordination of the request was led by senator Rogério Marinho and lawyer Maria Claudia Bucchianeri, who met with TSE president Kassio Nunes Marques to seek a liminar and the disclosure of Meta’s advertising data.

The Liberal Party (PL) also filed a petition with the TSE for the removal of the ads and for Meta to provide IP information. In São Paulo, the União Progressista federation publicly endorsed Flávio Bolsonaro and Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, with the PP candidate Guilherme Derrite confirming his Senate run. Flávio further promised that, if elected, narcotraffickers operating in the Port of Santos would be "prisoned or neutralized" as part of his security agenda.