Timelines indicate that Lula will be campaigning on TV.
The registration of former president Lula's candidacy will only be judged by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) after the start of the electoral campaign on radio and television; according to Reuters, in the most optimistic scenario, Lula's registration, which is the target of 16 challenges, will be judged by the TSE plenary on September 4th, a Tuesday, unless an extraordinary session is held beforehand to analyze the case; the radio and TV campaign for presidential candidates begins on Saturday, September 1st; the PT (Workers' Party) will have two and a half minutes of electoral advertising per day.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - The registration of the candidacy of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), which has been the target of 16 challenges, is only expected to be judged by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) after the start of the electoral campaign on radio and television, sources with knowledge of the case told Reuters.
Early this Thursday, Minister Roberto Barroso, rapporteur for Lula's registration at the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), ordered the notification of the former president's defense and gave his lawyers seven days to rebut the requests presented to block the former president's candidacy based on the Clean Record Law.
After this deadline, the rapporteur may open a period for the parties involved to present final arguments or even hear from the Electoral Public Prosecutor's Office. This deadline is not mandatory, but the assessment is that the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) will strictly adhere to the procedure to avoid any future questions regarding procedural irregularities.
In the most optimistic scenario, the former president's registration will be judged by the full TSE (Superior Electoral Court) on Tuesday, September 4th, unless an extraordinary session is held beforehand to analyze the case. The radio and television campaign for presidential candidates begins on Saturday, September 1st.
Lula's lawyer at the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), Luiz Fernando Casagrande Pereira, told Reuters that he expects to present his defenses to all challenges within the established timeframe. He ruled out requesting an extension to present his responses, which, in his opinion, would be legally permissible given the numerous requests submitted. He also stated that he will not request the production of evidence.
The Workers' Party candidate's lawyer said he wants the procedure to be respected and argues that there should be no action to delay or circumvent the registration process. "We don't want to push things too far," he said. "If the (candidate registration) system is bad, it's not the candidate's fault," he added.
Pereira stated that the defense is still evaluating whether to use the recommendation from the UN Human Rights Committee—which defended the former president's presence at campaign events. When asked if he sees a chance of victory in the TSE trial, the lawyer tried to show optimism.
"I think the merits of the case itself won't be as straightforward as it's been treated so far, we'll see. I believe in the defense," said the lawyer.
The former president has been imprisoned since April, serving a sentence following a conviction by the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF-4) in the Guarujá (SP) triplex apartment case for corruption and money laundering. The Workers' Party member, who maintains his innocence, comfortably leads the polls for the presidency.
RESOURCES
The Workers' Party candidate's defense team is also considering filing appeals with the Superior Court of Justice and the Supreme Federal Court to ensure the former president's eligibility to run in the October elections. It is not yet determined when these appeals will be filed.
If the former president is indeed prevented from running, the coalition led by the PT (Workers' Party) should replace him with his running mate, former mayor of São Paulo Fernando Haddad.