Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and a presidential hopeful in this year's election, spread false claims about Brazil's electronic voting machines during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Brasília on Tuesday (July 21), echoing a similar episode involving his father, who is currently imprisoned after being convicted in the attempted coup case.

Flávio claimed that Brazil's electronic voting machines share the same origin as those made by the Venezuelan company Smartmatic, which is false, and cited an alleged CIA report on electoral fraud in Venezuela in 2012. He then urged diplomats to send as many international election observers as possible to Brazil's 2026 election.

"Just a few days ago, coincidentally, the U.S. government raised allegations of suspected fraud in an electronic voting process, particularly in Venezuela. [...] Many of the machines used in Brazil's elections come from the same... have the same origin as that Venezuelan company," Flávio said.

The senator's office said he "does not question Brazil's electoral process" and that the invitation to international observers "reinforces the transparency of the electoral system."

• https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2026/07/flavio-bolsonaro-repeats-his-father-spreads-false-claims-about-electronic-voting-machines-at-meeting-with-ambassadors.

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