Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro slams Supreme Court, calls election a ’farce’ as supporters rally
- Polls show the president trailing leftist rival Lula, though neither has officially declared candidacy for the October 2022 election
- Facing flagging approval ratings, Bolsonaro has repeatedly attacked Brazil’s voting system, in a move that has drawn comparisons with Trump
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro slammed the country‘s Supreme Court and cast doubt on the integrity of next year’s elections on Tuesday as his supporters rallied in major cities at a time of heightened tensions in Latin America’s largest democracy.
Facing slipping poll numbers, surging inflation, and criticism for his handling of the world‘s second-deadliest coronavirus outbreak, Bolsonaro has urged supporters for weeks to protest his perceived enemies in Congress and the courts.
More than 100,000 supporters turned out in Sao Paulo, according to state security officials – far short of the record turnout Bolsonaro forecast, but perhaps enough to embolden the president in his stand-off with the judiciary and Congress.
“We cannot accept a voting system that does not offer any security in the elections,” Bolsonaro said in Sao Paulo, repeating a demand for paper voting receipts blocked by Congress and the federal electoral court. “I can‘t participate in a farce like the one sponsored by the head of the electoral court.”
Bolsonaro‘s critics say he is sowing doubts so he can challenge the results of the 2022 presidential race, which opinion polls now show him losing dramatically to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Neither has confirmed his candidacy.