President Jair Bolsonaro ratcheted up attacks on Brazil’s electoral authority after it denied a request to investigate radio stations for allegedly giving preference to his opponent, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
(Bloomberg) — President Jair Bolsonaro ratcheted up attacks on Brazil’s electoral authority after it denied a request to investigate radio stations for allegedly giving preference to his opponent, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Speaking in the presidential palace late Wednesday, Bolsonaro slammed Alexandre de Moraes, chief of the electoral court, and announced plans to appeal the decision. Brazil holds its presidential runoff on Oct. 30.
“We will go to the limits, by what’s allowed by the constitution, and prove what our audits show, that there is truly a huge disparity,” he said.
The latest row between the conservative president and Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who heads a wide-reaching investigation into disinformation, centers on air space for campaign propaganda. By law, TV and radio stations have to lot equal time to each presidential hopeful in the final stretch of the race.
On Monday, lawyers from the Bolsonaro campaign said broadcasters in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions, strongholds of support for the leftist challenger, had played a disproportionate amount of Lula’s radio spots.
Moraes, who often clashes with Bolsonaro for his attacks on Brazil’s institutions, said the president failed to provide evidence. He also ordered an investigation into the president’s campaign for a possible attempt to disrupt the election.
Read More: Bolsonaro Stalls in Polls After Ally Clashes With Police
Tensions are running high ahead of the Sunday vote, with polls showing Lula holding a narrow lead. Well before this year’s campaign kicked off, the incumbent has cast doubt on Brazil’s electronic voting system, raising fears of a potential contested result if he loses.
In his speech, Bolsonaro also claimed without providing evidence that he underperformed in the first-round vote in cities that didn’t air his campaign ads. “My side has been hurt a lot, and not just now,” he said.
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