The Academicos de Niteroi samba school, which dedicated its show to Brazilian President Lula during this year's Rio carnival, received the worst rating on Wednesday. The right had denounced an act of disguised campaigning for the benefit of the head of state, candidate for re-election for next October's election.
Published on: 02/18/2026 - 11:43 p.m. Modified on: 02/19/2026 - 07:52
Accumulating controversies and legal threats, the Rio de Janeiro carnival parade paying tribute to the left-wing Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, finished last, Wednesday February 18, in what is also a fierce competition.
Competing among the 12 main samba schools in Rio, Academicos de Niteroi wanted to strike hard by dedicating its show to Lula. But, even before the parade which took place on the night of Sunday to Monday, this choice caused a lively controversy: the right denounced an act of disguised campaigning for the benefit of the 80-year-old president, back in power since 2023 and candidate in next October's election.
The show was also not to the taste of the jurors, who evaluated the performance on technical and aesthetic criteria. On Wednesday, they awarded the lowest grade to the training in Niteroi, a town neighboring Rio. Consequence: the samba school is relegated to the second division of this competition organized like a football championship.
Lula had attended the parade at the Sambodrome, the majestic enclosure where the carnival takes place, for this first tribute to a serving head of state.
Jair Bolsonaro ridiculed at Rio carnival
Last week, the Superior Electoral Court rejected requests filed by two opposition parties seeking to cancel the parade. But the magistrates had warned that they could examine possible breaches a posteriori.
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In addition to retracing Lula's trajectory, the parade ridiculed his main adversary: the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a prison sentence for attempted coup d'état, was represented as a prisoner clown. Another passage enraged the conservative camp: a representation of the traditional family arranged like peas in a tin can.
Many personalities and anonymous people, denouncing an attack on Christian values, reacted on social networks. They published images made by artificial intelligence showing their own family in a tin can.
“Academicos de Niteroi relegated! Those who attack the family do not deserve applause,” Flavio Bolsonaro, senator and political heir of his father, reacted on Instagram following the announcement of the results on Wednesday. He announced that he would “quickly” file an appeal with the electoral justice system.
Bolsonarist MP Nikolas Ferreira said he had contacted the Rio prosecutor's office, saying in a statement that the parade "exceeded the limits of political criticism and entered the dangerous territory of religious prejudice."
With AFP
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