Brazil's electoral body bans mudslinging in presidential race

Brazil's top electoral authority has banned negative campaigning for the presidential run-off on Oct. 26, local media reported Friday.

Negative ads were getting so virulent that the Supreme Electoral Court decided to step in and prohibit mudslinging in free radio and TV slots granted to the candidates.

The electoral body urged the two candidates, incumbent President Dilma Rousseff and conservative opposition candidate Aecio Neves to use the broadcast time to present their proposals to the electorate.

The ban, the first of its kind in Brazil, does not apply to paid advertising in other media.

On Thursday night, the court struck down an advertisement by Rousseff's camp, which suggested that Neves of the Social Democracy Party would curb freedom of expression if elected.

The advertisement aired on Wednesday accused Neves of persecuting journalists and publications critical of his administration when he served as governor of Minas Gerais state between 2003 and 2010.

Neves' party had complained about it, demanding the advertisement be pulled off the air. Endi