Committee of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies rejects Bolsonaro’s printed ballots proposal

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Thursday (5), the Special Committee of the House of Representatives rejected the proposal to substitute printed ballots for the current electronic ballot boxes, dealing a defeat to President Jair Bolsonaro.

By 23 votes to 11, the committee decided to reject the favorable opinion of rapporteur Filipe Barros (PSL-PR), even though he had presented a substitute proposal with amendments to gain support the previous day.

An agreement to expedite the vote on the proposal was reached by party leaders amid escalating tensions between Bolsonaro and the judiciary’s leadership, particularly the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), over the printed ballot.

Threatening new elections, Bolsonaro has accused the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Luís Roberto Barroso, of interfering in the discussions in the Chamber of Deputies to prevent the adoption of the proposal of printed ballots.

Despite the committee’s rejection, Chamber of Deputies President Arthur Lira (PP-AL) had previously said that the proposal to introduce the printed ballot could be approved by the Chamber of Deputies’ plenary.

“Votes in the special committees are not terminative, they are opinions on the the text, but any objection can be addressed to the plenary,” Lira said.

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