Bolsonaro Claims Unfair Treatment in Election Before Runoff

(Bloomberg) -- President Jair Bolsonaro ratcheted up attacks on Brazil’s electoral authority after it denied a request to investigate radio stations for allegedly giving preference to his opponent, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

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Speaking in the presidential palace late Wednesday, Bolsonaro slammed Alexandre de Moraes, chief of the electoral court, and announced plans to appeal his decision. Brazil holds its presidential runoff on Oct. 30.

“We will go to the limits, by what’s allowed by the constitution, and prove what our audits show, that there is truly a huge disparity,” he said.

Bolsonaro’s allegations come after a series of campaign mistakes and a shocking incident involving one his most vocal supporters forced him to spend days on the defensive. The decision to claim unfair treatment by radios and electoral authorities wasn’t consensual within his campaign, with some advisers worried it may be seen by voters as a preparation for his possible defeat on Sunday.

Lula said such allegations show Bolsonaro is desperate. “The campaign is coming to an end and he realized he may lose the election,” he said in a radio interview on Thursday.

Bolsonaro Versus Moraes

The latest row between the conservative president and Moraes, a Supreme Court justice who heads a wide-reaching investigation into disinformation, centers on air space for campaign propaganda. By law, TV and radio stations have to lot equal time to each presidential hopeful in the final stretch of the race.

On Monday, lawyers from the Bolsonaro campaign said broadcasters in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions, strongholds of support for the leftist challenger, had played a disproportionate amount of Lula’s radio spots.

Read More: Bolsonaro’s Brawl With a Top Justice Tests Brazil’s Democracy

Moraes, who often clashes with Bolsonaro for his attacks on Brazil’s institutions, said the incumbent failed to provide evidence. He also ordered an investigation into the president’s campaign for a possible attempt to disrupt the election.

Tensions are running high ahead of the Sunday vote, with polls showing Lula holding a narrow lead. Well before this year’s campaign kicked off, the incumbent has cast doubt on Brazil’s electronic voting system, raising fears of a potential contested result if he loses.

In his speech, Bolsonaro also claimed without providing evidence that he underperformed in the first-round vote in cities that didn’t air his campaign ads.

“My side has been hurt a lot, and not just now,” he said.

--With assistance from Simone Iglesias.

(Updates with context and comment from Lula in paragraphs 4-5)

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