As Brazilians vote today Int’l warnings grow over threat to democracy

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President Jair Bolsonaro’s unfounded claims of electoral fraud raise concerns he may reject October 2 vote results.

International warnings about efforts to “subvert democracy” in Brazil are growing,  as voters head to the polls today for a presidential election that has deepened divisions in the South American nation.

Right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has suggested that he may reject the results if he loses, as most opinion polls have shown him trailing his left-wing rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The US Senate late on Wednesday passed a resolution backing a free election in Brazil and denouncing “efforts to incite political violence and undermine the electoral process.”

The symbolic measure, adopted unanimously, calls on the United States government to “immediately” recognise the outcome of the October 2 vote if it is determined to be fair by international observers.

It also urges the Biden administration to “review and reconsider the relationship between the United States [and] any government that comes to power in Brazil through undemocratic means, including a military coup”.

The vote today pits Bolsonaro against Lula, who an opinion poll this week showed held a commanding, 13-percentage-point lead.

Several other candidates are also seeking the presidency. If none wins a majority of the votes, a second round of voting is scheduled for October 30. The candidates had a final debate on Thursday.

Reporting from Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo said the election has sharply polarised the country, with Bolsonaro’s supporters painting his rival as a communist and Lula’s backers viewing the president as a right-wing radical.

“One thing that voters here do have in common is that many … see this election as a critical battle over the future of Brazilian democracy,” Rapalo said.

For months, Bolsonaro has been making unfounded allegations that Brazil’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to widespread fraud – charges that rights groups fear may be setting the stage for him to dispute the results to stay in power.

Other experts also have raised concerns that Bolsonaro’s supporters could take to the streets in large numbers should he fail to be re-elected, and that political violence could break out.

On Wednesday, US lawmaker Bernie Sanders, a lead sponsor of the Senate resolution, said the measure aimed to send a message that Congress supports democracy in Brazil.

“It would be unacceptable for the United States to recognise a government that came to power undemocratically, and it would send a horrific message to the entire world,” Sanders said in a statement.

“It is important for the people of Brazil to know we’re on their side, on the side of democracy.”

This week, dozens of European lawmakers also urged the EU to “take additional steps to make it unequivocally clear to President Bolsonaro and his government that Brazil’s constitution must be respected and attempts to subvert the rules of democracy are unacceptable”.

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the parliamentarians said it was “crucial” to dissuade Brazil’s military leadership from supporting “a coup”.

Brazil was under authoritarian military rule from 1964 to 1985, and Bolsonaro – a former army captain – has expressed admiration for the former regime, which has been described as a “brutal dictatorship” by rights groups.

“The EU should state that it will use different levers, including trade, to defend Brazil’s democracy and human rights,” the European lawmakers said. (extracted and edited from Aljazzeera)

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