TSE Allows Bolsonaro Image on Campaign Santinhos

Overview

• The Tribunal Superior Eleitoral voted 5–2 to overturn Minister Estela Aranha’s injunction and permit use of Jair Bolsonaro’s photo on printed campaign materials, a decision reached in the court’s virtual plenary on Thursday.
• Minister Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva changed his earlier vote after a pedido de vista and wrote that the STF’s wording about third-party dissemination does not by itself mean a santinho made by another campaign is a manifesto attributable to Bolsonaro.
• Estela Aranha’s original liminar had barred images shown “in posição de destaque” next to a candidate’s name and number, saying that could amount to prohibited political manifestos under an STF order from July.
• The ruling removes a legal barrier for PL-aligned campaigns and other candidates who want to feature Bolsonaro’s image, though parties must still follow other electoral rules and privacy or attribution limits.
• The dispute stems from a July STF order by Alexandre de Moraes that barred Bolsonaro from publishing political manifestos, and the TSE decision narrows how that ban applies but does not settle all questions about speech limits in election law.