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On Monday (20/06), Justice Minister Anderson Torres sent a letter to Superior Electoral Court (TSE) President Edson Fachin, informing him that the Federal Police (PF) may use its own programs to inspect electronic voting machines. Until then, the PF has always participated in all stages of the elections’ inspection, but using the TSE systems, whose application the corporation also monitors. In the letter, Torres also indicates the “possibility” of the PF developing “its own verification programs”.
On Tuesday (21/06), Superior Electoral Court President Edson Fachin determined the initiation of an administrative process in order to monitor the inspection and audit procedures of the electronic voting system during this year’s elections. The initiation of the process was a reaction to two letters sent the day before to Fachin. One was that of Justice Minister Torres, and the second was sent by Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira.
Nogueira’s Request
Nogueira asked for an exclusive meeting between technicians from the Armed Forces and the TSE to deal with the operational part of the elections, in order to “settle any technical differences” and “discuss the proposals presented by the Armed Forces”.
Accusations of FraudThe initiatives of the two government ministers were adopted in the context of the suspicions – without evidence – that President Jair Bolsonaro usually casts about the electoral system and electronic voting machines. Since last year, President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies have been criticizing the electronic voting machines, stating they are prone to frauds and that the election have already been rigged, even though no evidence has been presented. Political commentators and members of the opposition state that this is part of his political strategy.
