Representatives from 24 countries expected to watch Brazil elections

Representatives from at least 24 countries, along with members of the Mercosur Parliament and international agencies like the Organization of American States, have confirmed their presence in Brazil for the Oct. 5 elections. The purpose of the delegations from such countries as Angola, Zambia, Nicaragua, Cameroon, Canada, Romania, and the Dominican Republic is to learn more about how the Brazilian voting system operates.

Lodging and transport costs are the visitors' responsibility. The events, expected to gather over 60 people, start on Thursday (Oct 2), with lectures on the organization of the Brazilian elections. There will also be visits to the National Congress, the Federal Supreme Court, and the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), with simultaneous translations in English, French and Spanish throughout.

On election day, they will be following the activities at the voting places. “They'll have a chance to see the voting machines being started, the proceedings during the polls, the voting machines being put away, and, finally, the vote counting at TSE,” Tarcisio Costa, from TSE's office for international affairs, told Agência Brasil.

Costa went on to report that, unlike what happened in the previous years, when scholars and NGO members followed the elections, this year, only electoral authorities from UN member countries were invited to know more about the system.

Despite TSE's having offered six Brazilian capitals as options to the guests, all of them have selected Brasília as their destination, except the Cameroonian delegation, headed for São Paulo. “The high level of their answer [to the invitation] is more than a confirmation that the excellence of our electoral model has been acknowledged,” Costa remarked, adding that the visit strengthens Brazil's positive image abroad.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira