RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies president Arthur Lira said Wednesday (28) that the country’s electoral system is reliable and that the country will hold clean and transparent elections not only in 2022, but also in the following years.
However, Lira advocated a debate on printed ballots, which has been hailed by Bolsonarists in the Chamber.
“We will hold clean and transparent elections in October 2022, just as we will in 2024 and 2026. There is no doubt that the system is reliable, but part of the population and deputies want to discuss this,” he said.
The proposal advocated by Bolsonaro and supporters, currently being analyzed by a special Chamber committee, foresees a version of the vote to be printed off the electronic ballot box and stored in a common box for verification in case of doubt.
Experts in the field say that the existence of this second ballot box will increase, not decrease, the risk of fraud.
With his approval ratings declining and at risk of failing re-election, Bolsonaro has intensified his attacks on the electronic ballot, promising proof of fraud, and even saying that in 2022 elections may not be held unless the constitutional amendment on the printed ballot is approved.
However, the proposal is likely to be rejected in the special committee, without ever reaching the Chamber of Deputies’ plenary session.
The debate over the printed ballot and the threats have reportedly reduced Bolsonaro’s rantings and reached Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, who is said to have sent messages to Lira saying that without the proposal being approved the elections would not take place.
Lira claimed that he “had no part in such conversation” and believed that Braga Netto himself had denied the fact. In fact, the Minister of Defense denied that he had sent a message to the Chamber president, but did not support holding elections in 2022.
When asked if there is a risk of a coup, Lira stated that there is no such thing.
“There is no chance of political and institutional rupture in the country, we are not just any country,” he said. “There is no other way to elect a president, deputies, other than through the electoral process. Any other alternative does not have the support of Congress.”