US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Brasilia on Tuesday that the countries of the Americas were united by their
"devotion to democracy"
, following repeated attacks by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on institutions and the electoral system. .
"As President (Joe) Biden said, Democracy is a hallmark of the Americas,"
the Pentagon chief said at a Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CMDA).
“The more we strengthen our democracies, the more we strengthen our security
,” added Lloyd Austin, for whom it is essential that
“military and security forces”
be
“under strong civilian control”.
“Common interests and values”
“Our countries are not only linked by geography. They are also close because of our interests and our common values, such as respect for human rights (…) and our devotion to democracy
,” he insisted.
Jair Bolsonaro, who formalized his October presidential candidacy on Sunday, has continued to question the electronic ballot box system in force in Brazil since 1996, including during a meeting with ambassadors from several countries. , including the United States, last week.
The next day, the United States Embassy in Brasilia responded by praising Brazil's electoral system,
"a model for the whole world,"
in a statement.
Analysts fear that Jair Bolsonaro's criticisms are meant to set the stage for a contested election result in the event of a defeat.
He is currently well ahead in the polls by the left-wing ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The far-right president spoke of
“frauds”
of the electronic ballot box system without ever providing proof, saying for example that he should have been elected in the first round in 2018. He also multiplied throughout his mandate the attacks against the Supreme Court, which ordered the opening of several investigations against him, in particular for disseminating false information.
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