Staff Reports
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told his campaign team this week that his poor first‑round result is partly because his campaign “is carrying on its shoulders” the “promiscuity” he says has taken hold at the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF). The remark came at a post‑vote Workers’ Party coordination meeting and landed like a political grenade — equal parts complaint, explanation and warning as Brazil heads into a runoff with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Lula’s charge: “Promiscuity” at the STF
At the PT meeting, Lula said the public now sees the Supreme Court with suspicion and that his campaign has to deal with that damage. He repeated a blunt phrase — that the STF shows “promiscuidade” — and linked it to the recent scandal around the Banco Master probe and leaked police material. The president used the moment to press for another round of judicial reform and to argue that the way justices are chosen needs more public control.
The Banco Master clash that touched off the crisis
The controversy Lula mentioned is real and recent. Federal Police material tied to the Banco Master investigation included messages allegedly involving banker Daniel Vorcaro and an STF justice. Justice André Mendonça authorized the release of parts of that file, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes reacted angrily. STF President Edson Fachin stepped in to contain the dispute, reassigning matters and asking for explanations as the court tried to stop a public unraveling.
What this means for the runoff and for voters
Lula is trying to turn the court fight into a shield for his campaign, saying the judicial drama cost him votes and that he alone is the “anti‑system” option. That’s rich coming from a man who has run for president seven times and already served three terms. Still, the timing matters: the Banco Master revelations hit the headlines just weeks before the vote, and a tight first round left room for the story to sway undecided or disgusted voters. The tally put Senator Flávio Bolsonaro slightly ahead, forcing the October runoff and handing the right its best showing in decades.
Why conservatives should pay attention — and poke the weakness
Conservatives should greet Lula’s complaint with two reactions: first, the STF crisis deserves scrutiny — courts lose legitimacy when internal fights spill into the press. Second, don’t accept Lula’s victim story at face value. He’s blaming others for a campaign that underperformed. That’s a political tactic, not an explanation. The coming weeks will be about who persuades the 33‑plus million who sat out the first round and about whether voters buy Lula’s case that the court, not his record, is to blame. Either way, the Banco Master fallout and Lula’s theatrical protest will shape the runoff fight — and offer plenty of targets for those who want to expose the president’s desperate spin.
