Damares sues Lula minister over CGU video seen as signaling vote for 13

A government video showing a voter signaling the number 13 has moved from an election dispute into the courts. Senator Damares Alves of the Republicanos party filed a public-interest lawsuit in Brazil’s Federal District against Vinícius Marques de Carvalho, head of the Comptroller General of the Union, known as the CGU.

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misleading content

Damares accuses the agency of using public money, employees and official communication channels to create an explicit visual association with a presidential candidate. In her petition, she calls the use of institutional communication for the subliminal promotion of a political project an administrative act marked by misuse of purpose.

The Superior Electoral Court ordered the publication removed from all profiles after the controversy emerged, describing it as “misleading content”. The court also said the CGU produced the material without editorial interference from the electoral judiciary, even though the electoral court had replicated the publication.

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merely illustrative

The CGU said it re-edited the video and argued that the sequence was “merely illustrative” and came from a stock-image database. The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to the integrity of the electoral process.

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The funding of institutional communication directed toward the subliminal promotion of a political-party project constitutes an administrative act vitiated by misuse of purpose.

Damares is seeking an urgent injunction that would permanently bar the minister and the federal government from republishing, distributing or promoting the video through official channels. She is also asking the court to order full reimbursement to the public treasury for the production, editing and management costs of what she calls unlawful material. The case value is set at R$50,000.

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It directly violates administrative morality and causes irreparable damage to the state’s public and ethical assets.