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Groups trigger TSE and accuse irregularities in Brazilian 1st round voting in the US

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Left-wing Brazilian groups in the United States activated this Thursday (20) the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) and consulates in the country to denounce irregularities in the polling places of the first round of the presidential election, on the last day 2.

There were listed acts of verbal and physical violence by supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), threats, irregular transport of voters, restriction of inspectors in the sections and the presence of sound cars in electoral colleges, among other points.

In addition to the TSE, the document was delivered to the Federal District Electoral Court (which handles elections abroad), to the Secretariat for Consular Affairs, Cooperation and Culture of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Brazilian consuls in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington.

The letter is signed by the Defend Democracy in Brazil committee, the US Network for Democracy in Brazil and local groups from states such as New York, Texas, California and Florida.

In the latter, the group points out that it observed the irregular transport of Bolsonaro voters in buses and vans, which would have been organized and financed by local churches. According to the complainants, the passengers were wearing symbols of the president and were harassing supporters of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). The transport of voters is prohibited by Brazilian electoral legislation, unless it is organized by the Justice, under penalty of four to six years of imprisonment.

According to the complaint, there was also an episode of physical aggression in Orlando, recorded by the local police. In Miami and New York, sound cars with propaganda favorable to Bolsonaro were registered within the voting perimeter. Sound cars and loudspeakers are not allowed between 10 pm on the eve of voting until the end of the election.

According to the groups, in New York there was still a record of intimidation, including cars covered in Bolsonaro stickers speeding threateningly towards pedestrians. In this case, the local police had to cordon off the area. In the city, according to the document, there were also voters taking pictures inside the polling station.

In Los Angeles, groups also report cases of exits, another practice prohibited by law.

A constant complaint in different cities was in relation to the length of the lines, which could last for hours, especially in the largest electoral colleges, such as Boston and Miami.

“We ask the authorities responsible for polling places for Brazilians abroad, especially in the United States, to take all measures within their power to ensure the free exercise of the right to vote according to the democratic principle”, says the document.

“It is the responsibility of the entire consular network to ensure free, fair elections without violence or any other forms of political intimidation.” The group says it has not yet had a response.

Bolsonaro beat Lula in all the most expressive electoral colleges in the USA. In Miami, in the largest of them, he had 74.3% of the votes, against 16.2% for the former president; Boston recorded 69.9% to 23%. In New York, the difference was smaller, but still in favor of the current president, with 46.3%, against 42.9% for the PT.

In the first round, queues were also seen in many Brazilian cities and polling stations abroad – London, Milan, Berlin and Paris recorded queues of up to three hours, and some locations had to extend voting hours. In Lisbon, there was an exchange of provocations between supporters of Lula and Bolsonaro and the impeachment of a ballot box after a voter, identified as a Bolsonarista, voted twice.

The Brazilian consulate in the Portuguese capital informed that the structure for the second round will be reinforced. In the US, the representations of Miami and Washington do not foresee changes for the vote on the 30th.

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