The president of Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Sunday announced the lifting of Federal Road Police (PRF) filter barriers that had "
delayed the arrival of voters
" at presidential polling stations, as the left shouted to scandal.
"
The lifting of these operations was decided, to avoid delays of voters
" in the offices, declared Alexandre Moraes, president of the TSE, in a press conference, a little more than an hour before the closing of the offices of vote.
Leaders of the Workers' Party (left), relayed on social networks many videos of buses transporting voters at a standstill, especially in rural areas of the Northeast, electoral stronghold of ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“
It is unacceptable what is happening at the moment in the Northeast
,” lamented Lula, favorite in the polls, on his Telegram account.
But Moraes said that, despite the delays, "
no bus turned back and all voters were able to vote
".
According to the daily Folha de S. Paulo, more than 500 filter barriers aimed at controlling buses were registered at midday across the country, 70% more than in the first round, on October 2.
“Coup” for the left, “vote buying” for the right
On Saturday evening, the TSE had decided on the "
prohibition of any operation of the PRF which would harm the transport of voters
" on Sunday.
The president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann, announced on Twitter that she had called for the arrest of the director of the PRF, Silvinei Vasques, for "
non-compliance
" with this decision of the TSE.
Vasques had published in an Instagram story an image in which he called for a vote for President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula's opponent in the second round.
Nikolas Ferreira, bolsonarist recently elected deputy with the best score of the legislative election on October 2, for his part defended the traffic police: “
the PRF stops coaches which have been chartered.
Vote buying is an electoral crime.
Congratulations to the PRF
”.
Abstention in the poorer parts of the country is a factor that could prove decisive for the result of the second round, according to analysts.
In the first round, Lula won with 48% of the vote, against 43% for Jair Bolsonaro.
“
A coup is underway, with the use of the PRF to prevent poor people from voting Lula
,” tweeted political scientist Christian Lynch.
