Brazil's electoral court authorizes military to bolster security in 5 states for first-round elections

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) has authorized the deployment of military personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force to bolster security during the first round of elections on October 4th. The federal forces will be deployed in cities across Rio de Janeiro, Ceará, Tocantins, Piauí, and Acre.

The intervention aims to ensure order in locations dominated by organized crime, indigenous villages, riverside communities, border regions, and hard-to-reach municipalities. The capitals of Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Teresina, and Rio Branco are included in the deployment.

While the court's approval of federal security support for elections is common, the requests are typically made by Regional Electoral Courts (TREs) and approved by state governments. This time, the Ministry of Defense will handle the planning.

In Rio de Janeiro, the president of the state's Regional Electoral Court supported the deployment, noting that 25% of the metropolitan area's population votes in areas controlled by armed groups. The Ceará Regional Electoral Court also requested federal agents for 66 municipalities, despite the state governor's assertion that local forces were sufficient. In Acre, only two of the state's 22 municipalities did not request assistance, citing conflicts between factions and drug trafficking history in border areas.

The Tocantins Regional Electoral Court cited a lack of operational capacity among local agents to cover all regions, including areas with indigenous populations and surrounding farms, which can cause "tensions and potential direct conflicts of interest." The court noted a shortage of 4x4 vehicles and highlighted that indigenous and settlement areas have a history of conflicts that state forces struggle to contain alone.

“

The report pointed out a serious lack of 4x4 vehicles and highlighted that indigenous and settlement areas have a history of conflicts that state forces cannot contain alone.