# Brazilian electoral court advertising disputes

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/brazilian-electoral-court-advertising-disputes
> Updated: 2026-09-04T10:01:31.000Z. Sources: 10. Developments: 3.

In Brazil, regional electoral courts have issued rulings regarding the distribution of free radio and television advertising time during election cycles.

In Maranhão, the Regional Electoral Court (TRE-MA) denied a request from the PRTB party and candidate Roberto Rocha for access to electoral airtime, ruling that the party failed to meet constitutional performance thresholds.

In Mato Grosso, a dispute has emerged within the ‘Coração da Gente’ coalition regarding the allocation of advertising time between Senate candidates Janaina Riva (MDB) and José Medeiros (PL). The Regional Electoral Court (TRE-MT) denied Riva’s urgent request for a 50/50 split of airtime. The current distribution allocates approximately 60% of the time to Medeiros and 40% to Riva, a disparity resulting from a decision by the PL State Executive Commission to dedicate its allotted time exclusively to its indicated candidate.

Riva’s defense argued that the unequal distribution violates constitutional principles of gender equality and norms protecting female political participation. While Judge Eduardo Calmon de Almeida Cézar acknowledged the legal relevance of the gender parity argument, the injunction to change the allocation was denied. 

Following the denial, Riva has appealed the decision to the Supreme Federal Court (STF). Ananias Filho, state president of the Liberal Party (PL), criticized the appeal, suggesting the dispute could have been resolved internally and noting that Riva retains the full advertising time allocated to the MDB, PRD, and Solidariedade parties.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-04: Janaina Riva appeals to Supreme Federal Court over electoral advertising dispute

Janaina Riva has appealed to Brazil's Supreme Federal Court after a regional court denied her request for equal electoral advertising time during her Senate campaign in Mato Grosso.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/janaina-riva-appeals-to-supreme-federal-court-over-electoral-advertising-dispute

### 2026-08-31: Mato Grosso Electoral Court denies Janaina Riva equal advertising time

The Mato Grosso Electoral Court denied Janaina Riva’s request for equal electoral advertising time, maintaining a split that favors José Medeiros (60/40) over Riva (40%) in the Senate race.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mato-grosso-electoral-court-denies-janaina-riva-equal-advertising-time

### 2026-08-21: TRE-MA denies Roberto Rocha access to electoral airtime

The Maranhão Regional Electoral Court denied PRTB candidate Roberto Rocha access to free electoral advertising time, citing failure to meet constitutional performance requirements.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tre-ma-denies-roberto-rocha-access-to-electoral-airtime

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Cite as: Brazilian electoral court advertising disputes. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/brazilian-electoral-court-advertising-disputes