The Brazilian elections last month went smoothly and there was no evidence of electoral fraud. That conclusion is stated in a report from the Brazilian Ministry of Defense. Outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro had ordered the investigation.
The right-wing populist Bolsonaro suggested for months that the Brazilian electoral system would be prone to fraud, but according to the ministry this is not the case. The report does, however, make the suggestion to safeguard the source code of the voting computers, so that it cannot be tampered with.
The country’s highest electoral authority says it has received the report “with satisfaction”. Alexandre de Moraes, the head of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), promises to analyze the suggestions to improve the system.
Bolsonaro supporters are said to have looked forward to the report, as it could confirm their claims about left-wing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s false election win if irregularities were revealed.
Lula, as he is popularly known, recently defeated Bolsonaro in the race for the presidency. His election win sparked outrage among Bolsonaro’s supporters, who erected roadblocks across the country and demonstrated at Defense barracks. After a few days, Bolsonaro called on them to clear the roads.
Commenting on the report, Lula praised the voting machines Brazil has been using since 1996. He narrowly beat Bolsonaro with 50.9 percent of the vote.
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