The US House of Representatives rejected, on Thursday night (14), an amendment that asked the US government to investigate whether the Brazilian Armed Forces are interfering in Brazilian elections, scheduled for next October.
The proposal, which had been attached to the NDAA (Annual Defense Budget) for 2023, was unanimously withdrawn and, thus, was not voted on. The Budget received hundreds of amendments during its preparation, which were analyzed individually or jointly by the Plenary.
The NDAA passed the House on Thursday, and now goes to the Senate. Deputies gave the go-ahead for military spending of $839 billion, $37 billion more than the initial proposal made by the government of President Joe Biden. The approval had bipartisan support, with 329 votes in favor and 101 against.
The amendment related to Brazil had been presented on 7 July. It determined that “within 30 days after the enactment of this law, the Secretary of State must submit a report to Congress on all actions taken by the Armed Forces of Brazil in relation to the country’s presidential elections, scheduled for October 2022”.
The document cited points to be investigated: interference in the vote count, manipulation to try to reverse the result and participation in disinformation campaigns to question the electoral system and the results through protests, social networks or other means of communication.
If some of these points were found, Brazil could be framed in Section 7008, which provides for the end of US security assistance to countries in which there is a coup d’etat or military attacks on democracy, which could jeopardize the condition of the Brazil as a non-NATO ally, obtained in 2019.
The position makes Brazil a preferred partner, with easy access to the purchase of military equipment, some at cost price, in addition to cooperation for training and research into new technologies.
The amendment had been proposed by Democratic Representative Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, along with fellow Democrats Albio Sires (New Jersey), JoaquÃn Castro (Texas), Susan Wild (Pennsylvania), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) and Hank Johnson (Georgia). .
Since 2021, the Brazilian military has intensified questions about the electoral system. In August, LuÃs Roberto Barroso, then president of the TSE, invited the Armed Forces to participate in the Commission for the Transparency of Elections, which also brings together representatives of Congress, the Federal Police and other entities.
In this commission, the military made 88 questions about the voting system, in addition to suggestions for changes in the rules of the election. Almost all the proposals were rejected by the TSE. In some cases, court technicians pointed out errors in calculations and confusion of concepts in the analysis of the military.
In a note sent to Sheet when the amendment was presented in the US, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense said there was no interference by the military in the elections. “The Ministry reiterates that the Armed Forces participate, at the invitation of the TSE, in the Commission for the Transparency of Elections (CTE). In this work, the Armed Forces presented technical proposals to meet the TSE’s purpose of improving the security and transparency of the electoral process. . The participation of the military in the CTE takes place in a collaborative way and follows the resolutions of the TSE”, states the statement.
The questions raised by the military are used by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to reinforce doubts about the Brazilian electoral system, something he has done several times throughout his term. There are fears that the president will not accept the outcome of the polls if he is defeated, repeating a tactic used by former President Donald Trump in the US in 2020.
The Republican refused to recognize the result, pressured officials to change numbers and incited a mob to defend him. His supporters stormed Congress in January 2021 to try to prevent the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s victory. The action is investigated by the FBI and a congressional commission.
