Brazil's Superior Electoral Court announced on Monday that far-right President Jair Bolsonaro would be investigated for his repeated and unfounded attacks on the country's electronic voting system.
The country's highest electoral body also agreed to ask the Supreme Federal Court to investigate Bolsonaro for spreading false information during a Facebook Live event last Thursday, in which he spoke for more than two hours about his belief that the last two presidential elections were rigged and that he should have won in the first round in 2018.
In his attacks against the electronic voting system and the legitimacy of the 2022 general elections, Bolsonaro committed "abuse of economic and political power, improper use of the media, corruption, fraud, conduct banned for public agents, and extemporaneous propaganda," according to the Electoral Court.
Bolsonaro has long criticized electronic voting, which was first implemented in Brazil in 1996, and instead advocates for the use of “printable and auditable” paper ballots, which will be implemented for the 2022 presidential election.
People in Brazil vote electronically at polling locations, and Bolsonaro has argued for a physical printout of each vote cast for years, claiming that the lack of a paper trail makes cheating easier.
He has not presented any evidence of such fraud, and the Superior Electoral Court maintains that the system is fair and free of irregularities.
Thousands of Brazilians flocked to the streets on Sunday to support Bolsonaro in protest of electronic voting in many cities, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasilia.
The 66-year-old leader, who has come under assault from a variety of sectors, did not take part in the protests.
His popularity is at an all-time low, and he is facing a probe regarding his management of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than half a million Brazilians.
Bolsonaro provoked outrage three weeks ago when he questioned if the 2022 elections would be held.
He stated, "Either we hold proper elections in Brazil or there will be no elections."
Bolsonaro has also dubbed the president of the Superior Electoral Court, Luis Roberto Barroso, an "idiot" for saying that introducing a paper ballot could expose the process to manipulation.
Analysts say Bolsonaro's attack on the voting system indicates he is ready for failure in next year's elections and intends to exploit fraud charges as a way of retaliation, following in the footsteps of former US President Donald Trump, whom Bolsonaro admires.
Since the country's constitution was enacted in 1988, Barroso and all prior court presidents have signed a paper assuring the electronic voting system's openness and security.
