Police accused of suppressing Lula vote in Brazil election

[Judi Lynn]

By Anthony Faiola and Gabriela Sá Pessoa
October 30, 2022 at 5:15 p.m. EDT



Members of Brazil's Federal Highway Police are seen at the agency's headquarters in Brasilia on Friday. (Adriano Machado/Reuters)


RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s most bitterly fought election since the collapse of the military dictatorship descended Sunday into allegations of police attempting to suppress the vote in regions supportive of presidential challenger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Federal Highway Police, an organization closely allied with right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, allegedly set up roadblocks to delay voters in the country’s impoverished Northeast and other centers of support for Lula, a former president.

Highway police director Silvinei Vasques had earlier posted a call to vote for Bolsonaro on Instagram, according to the O Globo newspaper. It was later deleted. Sen. Randolfe Rodrigues, a Lula supporter, demanded his immediate arrest. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Brazil’s chief electoral authority, ordered Vasques to stop the operations immediately or face personal fines of nearly $100,000 per hour.

Later Sunday, however, Moraes sought to calm concerns of a broader effort that could taint the vote. He said each incident would be investigated, but police had complied with the demand to cease the operations. He said checkpoints had delayed, but not prevented, voters from casting their ballots, and he would not extend voting hours beyond the planned 5 p.m. close.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/30/brazil-highway-police-vote-suppression/

[GreenWave]

1. I suspected it was closer than expected due to foul play.

[Judi Lynn]

2. You betcha!