Bolsonaro says he will veto Brazil’s one-billion-dollar election campaign fund

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL -Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reiterated Tuesday that he will veto a R$5.7 billion (abour US$1.1 billion) fund approved by Congress to finance campaigns for the 2022 elections.

“Above all, we defend harmony between the branches of government, as well as their autonomy. From the beginning, we have played by this principle within the four lines of the Federal Constitution. That is, out of respect for the Brazilian people, I will veto the increase in the electoral fund,” he affirmed Tuesday (20) on Twitter.

The campaign finance fund is guaranteed by law and included in state budgets, as it is the main mechanism for campaign financing for candidates, but has been criticized by some sectors for the high amount.

The value of the fund approved for next year is almost three times that of the 2018 elections when about R$1.8 billion (about US$360 million) was allocated for campaign financing.

The creation of such a fund was approved in 2017, after a decision by Brazil’s Supreme Court that declared unconstitutional campaign contributions from businesses, amid a high-profile corruption scandal stemming from private companies’ contributions to election campaigns, but Bolsonaro has expressed opposition to the initiative.

Under current law, the funds must be distributed among political parties in proportion to their parliamentary representation and, in this case, will be used to finance campaigns for next year’s elections.

Bolsonaro’s veto of the amount approved by Congress, however, could weaken the president’s support in the legislature at a time when pressure is building from some quarters for impeachment proceedings against him.