- The party of losing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro has challenged the election in court.
- The electoral court has now dismissed this lawsuit.
- In addition, Bolsonaro’s coalition parties have to pay a fine.
Legend:
Keystone/Eraldo Peres
At the end of October, incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro lost the runoff against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. With 50.9 percent of the votes, the challenger was able to assert himself against the right-wing populists. A few days ago, Bolsonaro’s coalition parties then decided to contest this election.
The reason for going before the electoral court was doubts about the reliability of the voting machines. Electronic ballot boxes manufactured after 2020 should not have a serial number and therefore cannot be clearly assigned.
The court dismisses the lawsuit
The electoral court has not heard the concerns of Bolsonaro’s coalition parties, court documents show on Wednesday. The voting machines would have produced clear files that would make the votes traceable. When this mechanism stopped working, the machines were immediately replaced.
The presiding judge Alexandre de Moraes has also imposed a fine of 22.9 million Brazilian real, a good four million francs, on Bolsonaro’s coalition parties. The fine is explained by the fact that the plaintiffs sought an effort of bad faith litigation. The lawsuit is directed against democratic norms and would support anti-democratic movements.
protests in the country
Bolsonaro supporters have repeatedly protested in Brazil since the presidential election. Some are blocking the streets and want new elections, others are even calling for a military coup.