MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro's party officially questions outcome of elections

De Moraes said the runoff cannot be doubted without examining the first round

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL) called for a partial annulment of the Oct. 30 elections whereby the opposition candidate and former head of state Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT)was chosen to return to the Planalto Palace on Jan. 1.

 A Liberal Party audit showed irregularities in 61% of the electronic ballot boxes used for the runoff. Hence, the PL has called for the annulment of the elections. Bolsonaro insisted he refused to accept Lula's win by 50.9% of the votes against his 49.1% in a process monitored by international observers.

The PL's study determined that 61% of the 577,125 ballot boxes manufactured between 2009 and 2015 cannot be audited, unlike the newer ones from 2020, in which Bolsonaro prevailed with 51.05 % of the votes.

Engineer Carlos Rocha, who conducted the report, argued that “very strong indications of malfunction” existed in the old ballot boxes.

Superior Electoral Court (TSE) Chief Justice Alexandre De Moraes said that the PL's claim can only be treated if there are also doubts about the first round four weeks earlier in which the PL obtained 99 deputies, which will give it the first minority in the Lower House as from next year.

PL Chairman Valdemar Costa Neto said the report did not represent the party's stance but agreed that the objections “should be analyzed in order to strengthen democracy.” He also denied any intention to “disrupt the life of the country.”

De Moraes argued that the ballot boxes under suspicion were used in both rounds, so he urged the PL to “question also the result of the first round within 24 hours.”

The Workers' Party (PT), which led the electoral coalition that brought Lula to power, rejected the action attempted by the PL and considered it a “ruse” that cannot prosper in court. “Bolsonaro's appeal before the TSE is a ruse that has to be sanctioned as bad faith litigation.

Regarding these court filings, PT Chairwoman Gleisi Hoffmann said that ”enough of malice, irresponsibility, and insults to institutions and democracy!”.

Although he has not publicly accepted his defeat, Bolsonaro has started the transition process with a team appointed by Lula.