Politics

Bolsonaro invites ambassadors to legitimize false voter fraud claims

The president has claimed, on a number of occasions, that he has proof the 2014 and 2018 elections were rigged. But no such proof exists, and his government has gone as far as admitting that

Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos França (right) will attend a Monday meeting between President Bolsonaro and foreign ambassadors. Photo: Marcos Corrêa/PR
Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos França (left) will attend a Monday meeting between President Bolsonaro and foreign ambassadors. Photo: Marcos Corrêa/PR

President Jair Bolsonaro will host foreign ambassadors on Monday to discuss Brazil’s electoral system. At the meeting, he will spread disinformation and try to sow distrust in the electoral integrity of his own country.

“This week, I will meet with all the ambassadors of the world here in Brazil. There are more than 150. I want to explain to them what happened in the second round of 2014, [which is] documented. And what happened in the first and second rounds of 2018, [also] documented,” Mr. Bolsonaro told supporters on Monday.

The timing of the invitation may be a problem for Mr. Bolsonaro, as many top Western diplomats are on vacation due to the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Though this is not universally the case – France’s Brigitte Collet, who hosted a Bastille Day celebration in Brasília on Thursday, will meet with Mr. Bolsonaro on Monday – many diplomatic missions will instead send lower-ranking representatives, sources told The Brazilian Report

Yet, the ones who are in Brasília will meet with Mr. Bolsonaro. That is the case of France’s Brigitte Collet, who hosted a Bastille Day celebration in Brasília on Thursday.

“We already know what he will say, but as I was invited, I will attend,” said one Western ambassador, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the diplomacy involved. 

One ambassador described the invitation, seen by The Brazilian Report, as “uncanny.” The document simply calls ambassadors to a meeting with the president on Monday at...

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