Brazil’s new Supreme Court chief justice says voting machines are safe

On Monday (Sep. 17), in his first interview since he took office as chief justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Dias Toffoli rebutted criticism targeting the reliability of voting machines, and described allegations that the country’s top court was working to curb Operation Car Wash—the biggest crackdown on corruption in Brazil, ongoing since 2014—as “an urban legend.”

“To begin with, the Supreme Court has always supported Operation Car Wash. Let’s put an end to this urban legend, this folk tale. The Supreme Court has never ordered Operation Car Wash, or any other investigation, to stop,” he said, after being asked about court rulings that could make an impact on the crackdown.

Justice Dias Toffoli, went on to note, however, that the top court has actually provided the legal base for investigations and ensured compliance with the law “in some cases, in which this sort of intervention is necessary. When investigations prove to be abusive, they are held in check by the Judiciary branch, whose task is to make sure individual and fundamental rights are enforced.”

Elections

Regarding the recent statements by presidential hopeful Jair Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Social Party (PSL), which led to suspicions of fraud surrounding voting machines, Toffoli said the machines are “a hundred percent reliable.”

“In this connection, I say he’s always been elected through the use of voting machines,” Toffoli remarked regarding the suspicions raised by the candidate, who is serving his seventh tenure as a representative in the lower house.

“The system is open for auditing by all political parties six months prior to the ballot, as well as by all candidates and Brazil’s Bar Association,” he said.

He further stressed that the upcoming general elections will be observed for the first time by the Organization of American States (OAS).