São Paulo electoral court denies Haddad’s request to respond to Derrite’s “Crack Allowance” ad

São Paulo’s regional electoral court rejected Fernando Haddad’s request for a right of reply over a campaign advertisement by federal lawmaker Guilherme Derrite, allowing the criticism to remain in the election debate.

Derrite’s advertisement said Haddad had tried to address the Cracolândia drug scene during his time as mayor of São Paulo through an initiative he labeled “Crack Allowance.” The phrase referred to De Braços Abertos, a municipal program created under Haddad that included financial assistance for drug users.

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Disagreements over the assessment of public facts, political interpretations, judgments about the effectiveness of government policies and unfavorable rhetorical expressions are, in principle, part of the proper field of electoral competition, where freedom of expression must prevail.

Judge Domitila Manssur issued the decision on Monday, Sept. 7. She said the statement formed part of political debate and did not constitute an obvious falsehood that would justify a right of reply.

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The phrase ‘Crack Allowance’ is used as a derogatory description of a program that actually existed and included financial assistance, as part of a narrative intended to support the claim that the policy adopted by the previous administration was inadequate.

“Disagreements over the assessment of public facts, political interpretations, judgments about the effectiveness of government policies and unfavorable rhetorical expressions are, in principle, part of the proper field of electoral competition, where freedom of expression must prevail,” Manssur wrote.

Specifically addressing the phrase “Crack Allowance,” the judge said it was a derogatory description of a program that did exist and included financial assistance. After the ruling, Derrite said he would continue comparing the records of different administrations and showing São Paulo voters what each candidate had done when given the opportunity to govern.

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Haddad may not like being reminded of what he did at City Hall, but he cannot try to prevent debate about the legacy of his own administration. I will continue comparing models and showing São Paulo voters what each one did when given the opportunity to govern.