In Brazil, US Secretary of Defense stressed that “devotion to democracy” unites America

First modification: 07/26/2022 – 22:30

Austin spoke at the opening of the XV Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CMDA), held in Brasilia, a few days after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro launched his candidacy for re-election with attacks on the Federal Supreme Court and the electoral justice, and once again question the reliability of his country’s electronic voting system before foreign ambassadors.

“As President (Joe) Biden has said, democracy is the hallmark of the Americas. And we believe that the entire Western Hemisphere can be safe, prosperous and democratic. (…) We are united by our commitment to the rule of law and our devotion to democracy,” said the US secretary, without citing Brazil or any other country.

Last Tuesday, the United States embassy in Brazil assured in a statement that the Brazilian elections “serve as a model for the world”, after Bolsonaro questioned without evidence the alleged vulnerability of electronic ballot boxes in a meeting with dozens of ambassadors and foreign diplomats.

“The more we deepen our democracies, the more we deepen our security,” Austin added, stressing that “credible deterrence requires military and security forces” that are under “firm civilian control.”

For his part, the Brazilian Defense Minister, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, said on Tuesday that Brazil respects the “Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS)” and the “(Inter) American Democratic Charter and its values, principles and mechanisms “, a document that states that governments have an obligation to defend democracy.

The CMDA, made up of 34 countries, brings together defense ministers from the region every two years to promote and exchange ideas and experiences in defense and security.

The XV conference runs until Thursday, when participants are expected to sign a joint declaration with the conclusions of the debates and commitments made during the meeting in Brasilia.

Attacks on the electoral system

Brazil will have elections on October 2 and, according to polls, former leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the clear favorite against the far-right president.

Bolsonaro, a former Army captain, has said on several occasions, without offering evidence, that there was fraud in the 2014 election (defeated by Dilma Rousseff) and in the 2018 election, in which he claims to have won in the first round.

Officially launching his candidacy on Sunday, Bolsonaro called on his followers to “take to the streets for the last time” next Independence Day (September 7), a year after demonstrations in support of the government marked by anti-democratic slogans.

“Those few deaf people in black capes have to understand what the voice of the people is,” Bolsonaro said on Sunday, referring to the judges of the Federal Supreme Court who are also members of the Supreme Electoral Court and are often the target of his attacks.

Members of the opposition and some analysts believe that Bolsonaro’s position is part of a strategy to not recognize an eventual defeat and affect the electoral process.