Brazilian Prosecutor’s Office rejects senators’ request to investigate possible fraud in presidential elections

The Brazilian Prosecutor General’s Office yesterday dismissed several senators’ requests to investigate the possible fraud in the presidential elections held in October, in which the country’s former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won.

A group of senators allied to the current president, Jair Bolsonaro, delivered last Thursday a request for investigation to the Brazilian Prosecutor General, Augusto Aras, based on a report made by the Ministry of Defense during the elections, which did not rule out the possibility of fraud at the polls but showed its conformity with the electoral result.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, no concrete fact in the Defense Ministry report would justify opening an investigation into the electronic ballot boxes used in Brazil for the elections.

Considering that the military report states that there was no fraud and only points out aspects to be improved in future elections, the Prosecutor’s Office dismissed any investigation.

Besides the Defense Ministry report, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), and international observers ruled out any fraud in the elections.

Lula da Silva won the second round of Brazil’s presidential election with 51.9 percent of the votes, against 49.1 percent for Bolsonaro, who has not publicly acknowledged defeat.

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