Brazil for first time invites EU monitors to upcoming elections

The invitation comes amid concerns President Jair Bolsonaro may reject the results of the poll in October.

Brazil has for the first time invited European Union representatives to observe its upcoming elections, its electoral authority has said.

The move comes after President Jair Bolsonaro made unfounded claims of fraud and questioned the validity of Brazil’s electronic voting system following regional elections in 2020.

Fears that the far-right president may reject the results of the election in October, in which he will seek a second term, have been further spurred by more recent comments demanding the adoption of paper ballots and accusing the election authority (TSE) of favoring his main opponent, the left-wing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The invitation to the EU aims “to amplify the transparency of its electoral system and make cooperation possible”, the TSE said on Monday.

The electoral authority said talks were also underway with other groups that had previously observed Brazilian elections, including the Organization of American States and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. It also invited the United States-based Carter Center, among others.

Recent polls show Bolsonaro, who has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with the country’s Senate accusing him of crimes against humanity over his approach to the public health crisis, trailing far behind Lula.

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