The Acadêmicos de Niterói samba school opened the parade at the Sambódromo on Sunday night, showcasing a theme centered around the life and political journey of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. However, this performance has sparked at least ten legal initiatives aimed at preventing the parade from taking place or demanding the return of public funding allocated to the school. Critics argue that the performance serves as an early electoral campaign for Lula, who has already declared his intention to run for re-election.

Campaign regulations in Brazil prohibit any kind of electoral propaganda before August 16th, and various lawsuits have been filed in both common and electoral courts, as well as representations to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Court of Accounts. The petitions suggest that specific elements of the school’s performance, including parts of the samba lyrics that mention Lula's party number and the use of a campaign jingle, can be interpreted as electoral advertising, thus violating electoral law.

As the parades continue throughout the carnival season, the implications of these legal actions highlight the tensions surrounding political expression in cultural events. The outcomes could set a precedent for how political themes are handled in public performances linked to electoral figures. The situation reflects broader concerns regarding the intersection of culture, politics, and legal standards in Brazil's electoral landscape.