Bolsonaro knocks Brazil’s voting system

President&nbsp;Jair Bolsonaro suffered a setback after a&nbsp;Brazilian congressional committee voted against a constitutional amendment to adopt printed ballots.

The 34-member committee voted 23 to 11 to shelve the amendment that Bolsonaro had advocated for weeks, claiming the country's electronic voting system is open to fraud.

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"Bolsonaro has threatened the elections because he has already lost. He wants to perpetuate himself in power. He needs to be contained," Congressman Ivan Valente of Socialism and Liberty Party told the commission.

Bolsonaro&nbsp;has for years been arguing for a paper printout to be made of each vote cast, saying the absence of a paper trail makes cheating easier.

He threw fuel on the fire surrounding his claims with a Facebook live address last Thursday in which he spent the better part of two hours insisting the 2014 and 2018 elections were fraudulent.

He says his own victory in 2018 should have come in the first round, rather than the runoff, though he has never presented evidence to back up the claim.

Previously,&nbsp;Bolsonaro raged against a Supreme Court investigation&nbsp;into his conduct and threatened to respond outside the limits of the constitution, escalating a clash between the far-right leader and the judiciary.

Bolsonaro's comments came after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes approved an investigation into the president's unfounded accusations that Brazil's electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud.

The president called for people to take to the streets to defend his proposal and accused members of the top court of wanting to help Lula's Workers Party return to power.

On Sunday, thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in several cities to support&nbsp;Bolsonaro's campaign against electronic voting.

Opinion polls place the 66-year-old leader well behind leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential race.

Bolsonaro's popularity numbers have been sliding, and he is under fire on various fronts, including a Senate investigation into his government's widely criticised handling of Covid-19.

There are fears&nbsp;Bolsonaro&nbsp;could try to use fraud claims to undermine next year's election if he loses, following in the footsteps of former US President Donald Trump, with whom he is often compared.

(With inputs from agencies)

President Jair Bolsonaro suffered a setback after a Brazilian congressional committee voted against a constitutional amendment to adopt printed ballots. The 34-member committee voted 23 to 11 to shelve the amendment that Bolsonaro had advocated for weeks, claiming the country's electronic voting system is open to fraud.

President Jair Bolsonaro suffered a setback after a Brazilian congressional committee voted against a constitutional amendment to adopt printed ballots. The 34-member committee voted 23 to 11 to shelve the amendment that Bolsonaro had advocated for weeks, claiming the country's electronic voting system is open to fraud. "Bolsonaro has threatened the elections because he has already lost. He wants to perpetuate himself in power. He needs to be contained," Congressman Ivan Valente of Socialism and Liberty Party told the commission. Bolsonaro has for years been arguing for a paper printout to be made of each vote cast, saying the absence of a paper trail makes cheating easier. He threw fuel on the fire surrounding his claims with a Facebook live address last Thursday in which he spent the better part of two hours insisting the 2014 and 2018 elections were fraudulent. He says his own victory in 2018 should have come in the first round, rather than the runoff, though he has never presented evidence to back up the claim. Previously, Bolsonaro raged against a Supreme Court investigation into his conduct and threatened to respond outside the limits of the constitution, escalating a clash between the far-right leader and the judiciary. Bolsonaro's comments came after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes approved an investigation into the president's unfounded accusations that Brazil's electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud. The president called for people to take to the streets to defend his proposal and accused members of the top court of wanting to help Lula's Workers Party return to power. On Sunday, thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in several cities to support Bolsonaro's campaign against electronic voting. Opinion polls place the 66-year-old leader well behind leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential race. Bolsonaro's popularity numbers have been sliding, and he is under fire on various fronts, including a Senate investigation into his government's widely criticised handling of Covid-19. There are fears Bolsonaro could try to use fraud claims to undermine next year's election if he loses, following in the footsteps of former US President Donald Trump, with whom he is often compared. (With inputs from agencies)

Setback for Bolsonaro after voting change sought by him defeated in Congress

President Jair Bolsonaro has lashed out at electoral authorities for ordering an investigation of his campaign against Brazil's electronic voting system, saying he refused to be "intimidated" and that the country "is under attack."

Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) has&nbsp;opened an investigation into the far-right&nbsp;president for his statements claiming there will be fraud in next year's elections.

"I refuse to be intimidated," Bolsonaro fired back.

"I'm going to continue exercising my right to freedom of expression, to criticise, to listen to and above all answer to the will of the people," he told supporters outside the presidential palace.

"I swore to give my life for the nation in case of foreign or domestic attack. Brazil is under internal attack."

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Bolsonaro, who is expected to seek a second term in 2022, has repeatedly said&nbsp;Brazil's electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud.

Critics say Bolsonaro, like former US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, is sowing doubts with his unfounded claims in order to pave the way for him not to accept defeat in 2022.

Bolsonaro has long criticised electronic voting, introduced in Brazil in 1996.

He has stepped up his attacks in the build-up to the October 2022 elections, insisting on "printable and auditable" paper ballots as a backstop to the electronic system.

He has called the Superior Electoral Court's president, Luis Roberto Barroso, an "imbecile" for suggesting introducing a paper ballot could open the process to manipulation.

On Sunday, thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in several cities to support Bolsonaro's campaign against electronic voting, though the president did not take part.

Opinion polls place the 66-year-old leader well behind leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in next year's presidential race.

Bolsonaro is under fire on various fronts, including a Senate investigation into his government's widely criticised handling of COVID-19.

(With inputs from agencies)

President Jair Bolsonaro has lashed out at electoral authorities for ordering an investigation of his campaign against Brazil's electronic voting system, saying he refused to be "intimidated" and that the country "is under attack.

President Jair Bolsonaro has lashed out at electoral authorities for ordering an investigation of his campaign against Brazil's electronic voting system, saying he refused to be "intimidated" and that the country "is under attack." Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) has opened an investigation into the far-right president for his statements claiming there will be fraud in next year's elections. "I refuse to be intimidated," Bolsonaro fired back. "I'm going to continue exercising my right to freedom of expression, to criticise, to listen to and above all answer to the will of the people," he told supporters outside the presidential palace. "I swore to give my life for the nation in case of foreign or domestic attack. Brazil is under internal attack." Bolsonaro, who is expected to seek a second term in 2022, has repeatedly said Brazil's electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud. Critics say Bolsonaro, like former US President Donald Trump, is sowing doubts with his unfounded claims in order to pave the way for him not to accept defeat in 2022. Bolsonaro has long criticised electronic voting, introduced in Brazil in 1996. He has stepped up his attacks in the build-up to the October 2022 elections, insisting on "printable and auditable" paper ballots as a backstop to the electronic system. He has called the Superior Electoral Court's president, Luis Roberto Barroso, an "imbecile" for suggesting introducing a paper ballot could open the process to manipulation. On Sunday, thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in several cities to support Bolsonaro's campaign against electronic voting, though the president did not take part. Opinion polls place the 66-year-old leader well behind leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in next year's presidential race. Bolsonaro is under fire on various fronts, including a Senate investigation into his government's widely criticised handling of COVID-19. (With inputs from agencies)

'Brazil is under attack': President Jair Bolsonaro lashes out at new probe for attacks on voting system