Brazilian military reports no fraud in election count

RIO DE JANEIRO — A much-awaited report from the Brazilian military highlighted flaws in the country’s electoral systems and proposed improvements, but it did not substantiate claims of fraud from some of President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters, who continue to protest against his Oct. 30 defeat.

Many political analysts said last week’s report should curtail any serious attempt to discredit the electoral process.

“This was a bucket of cold water for those who still dreamt that the report could escalate the crisis,” said Carlos Melo, a professor in political science at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “How can protestors talk of fraud if their own agent, which they see as a superior authority, says that there is no proof ?”

Bolsonaro, whose less than two-point loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the narrowest margin since Brazil’s 1985 return to democracy, hasn’t specifically cried foul since the election. Still, his continued refusal to concede defeat or congratulate his opponent left ample room for supporters to draw their own conclusions. That followed more than a year of Bolsonaro repeatedly claiming Brazil’s electronic voting system is prone to fraud, without ever presenting any evidence.

And analysts noted that the armed forces, which have been a key component of Bolsonaro’s administration, appeared cautious not to displease the president as they maintained a semblance of uncertainty.

In a second statement, the Defense Ministry stressed that while it had not found any evidence of fraud in the vote counting, it could not exclude that possibility.

This is the first time the military has spoken on the runoff election, which has brought proBolsonaro protests nationwide even as the transition has begun for da Silva’s inauguration Jan. 1. Thousands have been gathering outside military installations in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and other cities calling for intervention by the armed forces to keep Bolsonaro in office.

Many protesters had anticipated that the Defense Ministry’s report would bolster their campaign, but that didn’t happen.

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 scrutinized and domestic authorities and international observers have never found evidence of it being exploited to commit fraud.

Online, many pro-Bolsonaro protesters shared their disappointment. “So did we get rained on for no reason?” one asked.