Bolsonaro calls in military chiefs over election fraud claims

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has called a meeting with military top brass, according to a local media report. Mr Bolsonaro, 67, was defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, but he has so far refused to concede or congratulate his rival.Brazilian news outlet Choquei reports Mr Bolsonaro called an urgent meeting with Brazilian Armed Forces commanders, the Minister of Defence and Generals from the country’s High Command.Choquei tweeted: “URGENT: Jair Bolsonaro calls an emergency meeting with all commanders of the Armed Forces, Generals of the High Command and the Minister of Defense.”It has not been possible to independently verify the report.The claim comes as a long-awaited report from Brazil’s military highlighted flaws in the country’s electoral systems, but did not substantiate claims of fraud from some of Mr Bolsonaro’s supporters, who continue to protest against his defeat. Jair Bolsonaro (pictured) has called in military chiefs, according to a report (Image: Getty) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva waves to the cameras (Image: Getty) Bolsonaro supporters stage a demonstration in Brasilia (Image: Getty) Supporters of da Silva celebrate in Rio de Janeiro (Image: Getty)It was the narrowest margin since Brazil’s returned to democracy in 1985.The outgoing president has not cried foul since the election, but his refusal to concede left room for his supporters to draw their own conclusions.Despite not providing evidence, Mr Bolsonaro spent over a year claiming Brazil’s electronic voting system is susceptible to fraud.Analysts have also noted Brazil’s armed forces, which have been a key part of Mr Bolsonaro’s administration, seemed to be treading carefully so as not to displease the president and maintaining a semblance of uncertainty.DON’T MISS: Santander’s message to anyone with a 123 bank account [REPORT] Eco mob strikes again as protesters bring M25 to standstill [LATEST] Meghan accused of ‘showing off’ as new crown cypher emerges on letter [REVEALED] Who is Jair Bolsonaro? (Image: Express)Brazil’s Defence Ministry stressed today (November 10) that while it had not found any evidence of fraud in the vote counting, it could not exclude the possibility.It is the first time the military has spoken about the runoff election, which has brought pro-Bolsonaro protests nationwide.The transition of power, however, has already begun for Mr da Silva’s inauguration January 1.Thousands of people have gathered outside military installations in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and other cities, calling for intervention by the armed forces to keep Mr Bolsonaro in office. Bolsonaro supporters in Rio de Janeiro (Image: Getty)Many of the protesters believed the Defence Ministry report would bolster their campaign, but that has not happened.Diego Aranha, an associate professor of systems security at Aarhus University in Denmark, who has been a member of the Brazilian electoral authority’s public security tests, said: “There is nothing astonishing in the document.”The limitations found are the same ones analysts have been complaining about for decades … but that doesn’t point to evidence of irregularity.”Amid the issues outlined in the report, which was signed by Brazil’s defence minister and representatives from the army, navy and air force, is the use of the electoral authority’s internal network to process machine source codes. They say this increases the risk of outside interference. The electoral authority insists its network is safe.The report said the pilot program for biometric identification the military had insisted on carrying out was inconclusive because few people took part.The report also said an analysis of vote tallies from 501 machines produced an average of inconsistencies near zero, with a confidence level of 95 percent. It added a separate integrity test was also carried out as planned.Brazil began using an electronic voting system in 1996.Election security experts consider such systems less secure than hand-marked paper ballots because they leave no auditable paper trail.Brazil’s system is, however, closely scrutinised. Domestic authorities and international observers have never found evidence of it being exploited to commit fraud.The electoral authority said in its statement on Wednesday that it would analyse the defence ministry’s suggestions.Many Brazilians are hoping for a return to calm. Nara Pavão, a political scientist with the Federal University of Pernambuco, said Mr Da Silva’s first visit as president-elect to the capital yesterday (November 9) and his meeting with Supreme Court justices – some of whom were once fierce political enemies – was one example of such a return.She said: “It was incredible, this sensation of normalcy. It shows the good functioning of democracy – he won, he is the president-elect.”Online, many pro-Bolsonaro protesters shared their disappointment. One asked: “So did we get rained on for no reason?”Others called for more protests with messages circulating on pro-Bolsonaro groups calling for large gatherings this weekend and on Tuesday, which is a bank holiday in Brazil.