🇧🇷Week of October 26

An Argentine court ordered Javier Milei's government to preserve images related to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro's flight from Brazil, CartaCapital reported. The senator, who ran against President Lula in the runoff, left the country after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes barred him from traveling and ordered him to hand over his passports.12

The owner of the airline told the AFP news agency that the flight carrying Flávio Bolsonaro was contracted and paid for by an intermediary in the aviation sector, through an account in the United States. The account of the payment was reported by G1.3

American press reports said Donald Trump's administration helped Flávio Bolsonaro flee, according to G1. Folha de S.Paulo reported that Flávio Bolsonaro had Trump's help to flee to the United States, and CNN Brasil commentator Waack assessed that Trump keeps Flávio in the background while aiming at Brasília.432

VEJA asked whether Milei harmed himself by helping the flight of his Brazilian friend. The question was framed around the Argentine president's decision to assist a senator who had been barred from leaving Brazil.5

The Senate approved an increase in the border allowance paid to federal employees working in strategic border areas and expanded the list of public careers entitled to it. The daily rate rises from R$ 91 to R$ 191 starting in 2027. The Chamber of Deputies had earlier approved the provisional measure extending the compensation.1234

The measure reaches federal staff in strategic border zones, and the Sindireceita union, which represents tax and customs auditors, urged its members to press for approval of the bill through a digital mobilization campaign.15

Folha de S.Paulo reported that the Senate approved the adjustment without indicating how the government will pay for it.3

A separate proposal extending the border allowance to federal teachers passed a Senate committee and moved to the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate also reported committee approval of the border allowance for federal employees.67

Brazil's Labour Court has prohibited federal deputy Índia Armelau from encouraging employers to dismiss workers who voted for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The order followed statements by business owners that they would fire employees who backed Lula.123

The Labour Public Ministry (MPT) is prosecuting Armelau over her suggestion that Lula voters be dismissed. The MPT points to violations in posts by politicians and digital influencers who, after the 2026 election result, defended firing workers, refusing to hire them and boycotting businesses that helped re-elect Lula.456

State deputy Requião Filho asked that deputies from the PL and Novo parties be investigated for defending the dismissal of petistas. The request names lawmakers who backed the firings.73

Workers who supported Lula have been attacked on social media by Bolsonaro supporters, with posts urging employers to "Fire!" them. The campaign of retaliation spread online after the election result.86

Greenhouse gas concentrations reached unprecedented levels, the United Nations said, with the planet described as never having been so polluted. The findings arrive ahead of COP31.123

New climate targets point to a cut of only 6 percent in global emissions by 2035, a reduction the UN forecast as insufficient. The figure was reported across Brazilian outlets on the same day the record concentrations were announced.421

The World Meteorological Organization is the UN body behind the assessment, cited in the reporting on the record pollution levels.54

Attributed claim: Outlets described the record in different terms: VEJA said the gases accelerate global warming, while SBT News reported the UN warning of extreme risks. CartaCapital dated the record concentration to 2025.627

US President Donald Trump said Brazil's election "seemed rigged," without presenting evidence, and added that he "likes Lula." Vice President Geraldo Alckmin rejected the claim, calling it "mistaken."12

Celso Amorim also dismissed the suspicion, saying: "Only if he is referring to Meta." The remark tied Trump's claim to the dispute over the platform's treatment of the campaigns.3

The Trump administration delayed a statement on Lula's victory after Senator Flávio Bolsonaro contested the result. The Planalto palace said it saw no impact from the recognition of the election by Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei.45

Coverage weighed what a US refusal to recognize Lula's win would mean, while CNN Brasil reported that Trump was already dealing with the reality of the result.67

VEJA reported Alckmin's reaction to Trump's remarks on the Brazilian election.8

Geraldo Alckmin is the most frequently cited candidate to command the Finance Ministry in President Lula's fourth term, according to Estadão. The Piauí governor, Rafael Fonteles, has also emerged as a name promoted by Faria Lima, Brazil's financial district, for the post.12

Fonteles denied having discussed any ministry in the new Lula government. The denial was reported as the succession speculation widened.3

Durigan said there is no definition yet on who will head the Finance Ministry and praised Fonteles as a name for the job. He called Fonteles an excellent name for the Finance Ministry.45

A book quotes a candidate for the Finance Ministry saying that without fiscal balance, tensions rise. The remark was reported as the fiscal debate around the next economic team took shape.6

Camilo, Moses Rodrigues and José Guimarães are also cited as possible members of a fourth Lula government. Lula is expected to reshuffle ministers and will face the challenge of finding room in the government for allies defeated in the elections.74

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ordered voting hours extended by two hours, to 19h, in the second round of the presidential election. In São Paulo, about 80 percent of electronic voting machines were already closed when the extension took effect, according to the state electoral court, TRE-SP. The court's decision drew criticism from jurists and from within the courts.1234

The delay of Justice Kassio Nunes Marques and a decision by Justice Cristiano Zanin prompted criticism in the courts and an emergency meeting at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), G1 reported. The Supreme Court's order and the reasoning behind it were the subject of legal debate, with jurists questioning the measure.52

A professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) said the extension of voting hours could annul the second round, in a column by Mônica Bergamo. The runoff pitted President Lula against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.6

Eight in ten voting machines in São Paulo were shut when the Supreme Court extended voting to 19h, R7 reported, matching the figure the state electoral court gave for machines closed at the time of the extension.41

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) rejected as false Senator Flávio Bolsonaro's claim that PL party monitors were expelled from a sealed room during the election count. The court said it did not remove the PL inspectors from the room. The denial came as Flávio Bolsonaro pressed to have the election result annulled.12

Joice Hasselmann mocked Flávio Bolsonaro over his push to annul the election. The senator's arguments for annulment were set out and weighed by specialists. The TSE's rebuttal and Hasselmann's reaction were reported the same day.34

Legal experts judged that a court challenge seeking to annul the overall second-round result is unviable. The assessment was published as Flávio Bolsonaro's camp pursued the annulment route. The TSE had already disputed the factual basis the request rested on.5

President Lula won Brazil's presidential election, and US President Donald Trump has not publicly commented on the result. Trump broke a tradition of more than two decades in which allied presidents called to congratulate the winner, while presidents allied with Washington did call to congratulate Lula. Trump said he was watching Brazil's elections but declined to say whether he would back any candidate.12

Celso Amorim said the United States cannot oppose an electoral result, commenting on Trump's failure to speak about Lula's victory. The remark was reported by O Globo.3

Trump's son shared a post that called Lula the "next Maduro," UOL reported.4

Experts interviewed by BBC News Brasil said Trump's gesture, or the lack of one, could decide whether Senator Flávio Bolsonaro contests the result.1

At least 75 buses were prevented from leaving garages in Salvador during the second round of Brazil's elections, leaving voters to wait hours for public transport. Some electors reached polling stations only by catching rides, and others turned to social networks or cycled as far as 40 km to vote.123

Ride-sharing offers for voters multiplied after the transport failures in the runoff, as people organized online to get others to the polls. The Federal Police are investigating possible crimes linked to transport and the supply of services during the vote.45

A lawyer described the failure to provide transport for voters as sabotage against democracy. The complaint places the transport breakdown alongside the election itself, in which voters in Salvador could not reach polling stations by the usual public services.3