Part of STF Sees Extremist Turn in Flávio Bolsonaro's Voting Machine Claims; Kassio Minimizes Comparison with Bolsonaro

At least three ministers of Brazil's Supreme Court of Justice (STF) believe Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has taken an "extremist turn" by spreading disinformation about electronic voting machines, a move they see as inspired by U.S. discourse. These ministers share the perception among politicians that the pre-candidate has abandoned his moderate stance during the pre-campaign, which they consider a strategic error.

However, the President of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Kassio Nunes Marques, has told interlocutors that he believes the senator's declarations to foreign ambassadors are less serious than those made by his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, during the 2022 election campaign. Flávio Bolsonaro claimed during a presentation that the United States had denounced fraud in Venezuela's elections and that the voting machines used in that country are supplied by the same company that equips Brazil, a statement that is factually incorrect.

Kassio, who was appointed to the STF by Jair Bolsonaro, has not publicly commented on the false claim. The TSE merely republished an old clarification in its "Fact or Rumor" section. This note, originally published in 2020 and updated in 2022, states that the company Smartmatic, which supplied machines to Venezuela, never sold equipment to Brazil and lost a bid to Positivo Tecnologia.

For the critical wing of the Supreme Court, the false parallel drawn between Venezuelan and Brazilian voting machines cannot be minimized by the TSE. They argue that Flávio appears to be replicating a discourse similar to that of former U.S. President Donald Trump, potentially opening the door for external interference in elections. One minister described the declarations as absurd, noting that the TSE has precedents where spreading fake news about voting machines can lead to ineligibility, as happened with Bolsonaro himself.