Bolsonaro told them that Brazil’s electronic voting system, which has been used without controversy since 1996, was vulnerable. The remarks raised concerns that the populist politician – who is facing poor results in the polls – may attempt to discredit the democratic process if he loses in October. The baseless claims were immediately denied by Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the body that oversees the elections. The TSE issued a list of 20 objections to Bolsonaro’s statements, which the court’s president, Edson Facin, called them “unacceptable electoral denial.” “It’s time to say enough about this misinformation,” Fachin said. “It is also time to say no to authoritarian populism.” The Senate president also dismissed Bolsonaro’s claims, saying there was “no reason or reason” to question the effectiveness of the electoral process. “The national congress, whose current composition was elected under the modern electoral system, is obliged to confirm to the population that electronic ballots will give the country a faithful representation of the people’s wishes, whatever they may be,” said Rodrigo Pacheco. . Bolsonaro’s decision to step up criticism in front of a foreign audience may be linked to his poor showing in the polls. Most give former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a double-digit lead, and his supporters are optimistic he could even win the first round and avoid a runoff. The first round will be held on October 2nd, with a possible second round scheduled for October 30th. Bolsonaro, a supporter of Donald Trump, has previously questioned the reliability of electronic ballots even after his easy victory in 2018, and later tried to pass a law forcing a return to paper ballots. That effort was ruled unconstitutional in 2020, and another effort to include paper ballots alongside electronic voting was rejected by Congress a year later. His speech to diplomats on Monday included attacks on judges and TCE officials who will be tasked with verifying election results not only for the president but also for Congress and 27 state governors. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The speech also focused on a 2018 investigation into an attempted election hack. An official investigation concluded that there was no risk to the count or the results. Bolsonaro restricted media access to his 30-minute speech at Planalto, the presidential palace. However, it was broadcast live on state television, prompting some opposition MPs to claim they would take him to court for misusing state funds. Lula said it was a shame Brazil didn’t have a leader who cared more about problems like jobs, development and hunger. “On the contrary, he is lying about our democracy,” Lula tweeted.
