(Pelotas) President Jair Bolsonaro once again questioned the legitimacy of Brazil’s electoral system on Tuesday ahead of the second round of the October 30 election, where he will face left-wing ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who beat him in the first round.
Posted at 10:20 p.m.
Mr. Bolsonaro asked voters to “stay in the area” of the constituency where they vote, “until the result is determined”.
“The result will be what we all hope for, because the other side [la gauche] can’t get anyone together. We are suspicious,” Bolsonaro said at a rally in front of his supporters in Pelotas, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
In the first round, the outgoing far-right president obtained 43.2% of the vote, behind Lula, who with 48.4% of the vote is the favorite for the second round of the presidential elections.
“How does this guy [Lula] can he have as many votes if the people are not on his side, ”commented Mr. Bolsonaro again.
During the campaign, the far-right leader repeatedly mentioned, without evidence, the possibility of “fraud” via electronic ballot boxes, threatening not to recognize the results if he lost the election.
However, he moderated his speech in the home stretch before the first round on October 2.
International organizations and experts played the role of observers during these elections, which also renewed the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
A mission from the Organization of American States (OAS) indicated that the vote “took place normally and in good order”, according to the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Brazil.