The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) approved the opening of an investigation into the accusations made by President Jair Bolsonaro about the electronic ballot box and asked the Supreme Federal Court to investigate the Chief Executive in a case of fake news.
The movement, the most forceful since Bolsonaro began to threaten the 2022 elections, was accompanied by other gestures. The president of the Supreme Court, Luiz Fux, said in a speech that independence among the Powers "does not imply impunity for acts that exorbitate respect for institutions."
Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, at the head of the TSE, stated that "the threat to holding elections is undemocratic," and "defiles the public debate with disinformation, lies, hatred and conspiracy theories."
In a statement, nine Supreme Court justices and former presidents of the TSE rebutted the accusations of fraud and defended the electronic voting machine. The president has sought to make the 2022 election conditional on the printing of paper ballots.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon