The MPT (Public Ministry of Labour) has instituted a procedure to investigate allegations of electoral harassment that would have occurred on the premises of Bebidas Poty, a beverage manufacturer located in the municipality of Potirendaba (440 kilometers from São Paulo).
Poty is one of the sponsors of the Corinthians football team and will participate in a hearing with prosecutors at 1 pm this Friday (28), where the signing of a TAC (Term of Adjustment of Conduct) should be proposed, providing for commitments to curb the harassment.
According to the MPT, an inquiry was opened on October 24 to investigate allegations that members of the company’s board of directors were trying to influence employees’ votes. The favored candidate would be the current president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is contesting the second round of elections against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The agency did not provide details on the complaints received. According to the MPT, in the city of Potirendaba alone, ten complaints of electoral harassment have already been registered, among 120 complaints made in the interior of São Paulo.
By phone on Thursday afternoon (27), the company’s director José Luiz Franzotti said he found the situation unbelievable and that he awaits the hearing.
On his Instagram account, Franzotti’s last publication dates from October 1 (one day before the first round of elections). In the video, he says he is “on the right”, considers that he respects all political opinions, and talks about the candidates he supports.
“We are being governed today by a president who sometimes I think is a little truculent, sometimes even a little rude in his way of speaking, in his way of expressing himself”, he says. “I am in favor of the reelection of our president”, he concludes, before also declaring support for Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) for the government of São Paulo.
Poty employs more than 800 employees in Potirendaba, a city with just over 17,000 inhabitants, according to the IBGE. The company is also known for sponsoring soccer teams and has the Guaraná Poty logo stamped on the back of the Corinthians uniform shorts.
Bolsonaro was the most voted candidate in the municipality in the first round of the elections, with 60.52% of the votes. Lula was left with 33.34%.
In WhatsApp groups, a text circulates saying that officials reported to the MPT that they are under pressure to vote for Bolsonaro. According to the material, they would be receiving partisan content on their personal numbers and being called inside the factory to hear from the directors about the reasons for electing the candidate for reelection.
The pressure would be being made by Franzotti and the mayor of Potirendaba, Gislaine Montanari Franzotti (PTB), who is also a partner at Poty. On her Instagram account, the mayor has several photos next to Bolsonaro.
Sought by email late this Friday morning, the Potirendaba City Hall did not respond to a request for comment until the publication of this report.
Complaints of electoral harassment exploded during the campaign for the second round of elections. Until last Friday (21), the MPT had received 1,112 complaints across the country. The number represents a large increase compared to the 2018 elections, when the MPT received 212 complaints.
As a result, Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) agreed with party leaders this Tuesday (25th) to set up a CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) to investigate cases of electoral harassment allegedly carried out by businessmen and public managers in favor of Bolsonaro.
WHERE TO REPORT ELECTORAL HARASSMENT:
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