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image source, AFP
Jair Bolsonaro lost the latest election by two percentage points.
Brazil’s High Electoral Court (TSE) has rejected a request by Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right party to annul the results of the last presidential election.
Outgoing President Bolsonaro’s party contested few votes on election day in October, in which he lost the presidency to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The Liberal Party (PL) had asked the Electoral Tribunal to reject some machine votes, which it promised. A compromise was made during the second election round.
But Alexandre de Moraes, president of the TSE, declared that the PL’s complaint was a “crime against democratic norms” and that it would “encourage criminal and anti-democratic movements”.
The court further stated thatThe case was filed in “bad faith” and the party was fined 22.9 million reais (US$4.3 million)..
Bolsonaro’s performance was better than expected in the first round. But in the second round, Lula won 50.9% of the vote against Bolsonaro’s 49.1%, and the result was approved by the High Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
Although no evidence was presented, the Liberal Party’s claim made the rounds 280,000 voting machines Models manufactured before 2020. Bolsonaro has said on previous occasions that there is no evidence of fraud in Brazil’s electronic voting system.
While Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat, he has allowed a transition of power. After losing the election on October 30, he stayed out of the public eye.
Questioned the machines
Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) hired a consultancy firm to find electronic ballot boxes ahead of 2020. Do not create log files with unique namesSo it is not possible to associate a particular log file with a particular cell.
The log files contain a kind of “biography” of each ballot box, with data on how many times it was turned on, turned off, and at what time programs were inserted. This file is considered important as it records any attempt to access the ballot box irregularly.
image source, Good pictures
The Liberal Party sued that electronic ballot boxes produced before 2020 were inappropriate.
According to PL, only files created by ballot boxes produced after 2020 will be considered relevant, and if only votes from these ballot boxes are counted, Bolsonaro “will be the winner with 51.05% of valid votes, 48,955 against Lula.”
However, several experts consulted by BBC Brazil were reassured Failures indicated by PL do not compromise the results.
Researcher Marcos Simplicio, professor of computer engineering at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, said that although the registration files of ballot boxes produced before 2020 produced identical names, it was enough to open them to find accurate information. belonging to the ballot box.
“Anyone with Internet access can do this,” the expert said.
Another expert who studied the voting machines used in Brazil pointed out Diego de Freitas Aranha, a computer science professor at Aarhus University in Denmark. Votes are not in the registration files.
“The most important data, i.e. votes, are not in the registration files. They are in other files. And there is no mention of the alleged malpractice with respect to that data,” explained the professor.
image source, Good pictures
The High Electoral Tribunal (TSE) confirmed Lula’s victory in the second round.
DIFFICULTIES OF REQUEST
Experts consulted by the BBC also pointed out that there were errors in the report submitted by PL to seek the annulment of the vote.
On the one hand, the report was based on incorrect technical assumptions about the security of ballot boxes. does not providePa No evidence of fraud That may have worked for President-elect Lula.
Diego Aranha pointed out that the supporters’ claim only mentioned irregularities in the results of the second round, but that the same machines were used in the first round.
“If the fault found by PL is so serious, It is natural for him to demand the annulment of the first round of voting as well, and not only the second. It should happen because ballot boxes manufactured before 2020 were used in the first round,” he said.
Marcos Simplicio added that the annulment of the votes in both rounds will not only have consequences for the presidential election. All disputed chargesas Representatives, Senators and State and Federal Governors”.
image source, Reuters
After the results were announced, Bolsonaro’s supporters protested en masse.
Soon after Lula was declared the winner, many people Trucks supporting Bolsonaro blocked roads and clashed with police. But Bolsonaro later told them the blockades were not part of “legitimate” protests.
Some of his supporters continued to demonstrate in front of army barracks, urging the military to intervene to prevent Lula from taking over.
Bolsonaro’s presidency ends with Lula’s inauguration on January 1.
Lula, who was Brazil’s president between 2003 and 2010, is 77 and the oldest person to take office.
Lula’s victory represented a remarkable political comebackTaking into account that his candidature for the 2018 elections was not implemented due to his imprisonment and barring from all public offices.
He is accused of accepting bribes from a Brazilian construction company in exchange for facilitating contracts with state oil company Petrobras. His conviction was later overturned.
Bolsonaro, a former military leader, draws his support from evangelical Christians and other conservative sectors who advocate protecting family values. However, his government saw deforestation and growing inequality in the Amazon.
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