TSE bans Globo from showing empty chair for Lula in debate

The Minister of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) Estela Aranha on Thursday banned TV Globo from displaying an empty pulpit with nominal identification of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) during the presidential debate. The petista has already announced that he will not participate in the debate. The decision responds to a request from the Coalition Brazil Pronto Para Mais, which represents Lula.

In addition to vetoing the display of the empty chair, the magistrate ordered that the station prevent the formulation of questions directed at the mandatary. The injunction was granted after the coalition questioned the validity of item 7 of the "Presidential Debate 2026", a document presented by Globo to govern the meeting.

Understand the rule challenged by the coalition

The rule provided for the preservation of the identified seat of the missing competitor, the visual highlight of the absence and the realization of questions by the other candidates present addressed to the absent. According to the coalition, this dynamic would create a visual and embarrassing sanction for Lula, who chose not to attend.

The defense of the petista requested the suspension of this device or, subsidiarily, the cancellation of the block of questions and the prior authorization for the right of subsequent answer. The rapporteur stressed that participation in electoral debates is optional, i.e. no candidate is required to attend.

Principles of isonomy and neutrality

Estela Aranha stressed that although the law grants autonomy for broadcasters and campaigns to agree operational rules, this flexibility cannot override the principles of isonomy between applications and neutrality. For the minister, imposing coercive visual or dynamic sanctions on the absence goes beyond the simple loss of speech space and constitutes a curtailment of the political rights of the candidate.

The magistrate also pointed out that allowing questions to an absent candidate without the possibility of immediate contradiction breaks the dialectical dynamics of the debate. Likewise, the continuous display of the nominated empty chair produces imbalance in the broadcast, as it keeps the name of the absentee in evidence throughout the program.

Consequences for the TV Globo

In the injunction, TV Globo must refrain from applying the measures concerning absent candidates, under penalty of fine. The decision determined the urgent notification of the broadcaster, the referral to the Electoral General Prosecutor's Office (PGE) and submission of the case to the plenary of the TSE. The source did not detail the amount of the fine in case of non-compliance.

The broadcaster has not yet made a public statement about the decision. The debate is scheduled to begin at 9:30 pm, and the other candidates present are expected to follow the rules adjusted by Justiça Eleitoral.

Lula participates in podcast at the same time

While the debate takes place, Lula will participate in the podcast Flow from 8:45 pm, in the same time slot of the meeting. The strategy of attending an interview program instead of the debate had already been announced by the petista campaign.

The TSE decision ensures that Lula’s absence is not exploited visually by the broadcaster, avoiding what the coalition called an “empty chair” as a form of pressure. The case will now be considered by the plenary of TSE, which may confirm or modify the injunction.

For the elector, the decision reinforces the optional nature of the debates and the need for balance in electoral coverage. The Boca no Trombone portal will continue to follow the developments of this decision and the repercussions of the presidential debate.

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