What Happened: Jair Bolsonaro's Liberal Party filed a lawsuit on 22 November before the Superior Electoral Tribunal seeking to invalidate the results of the 30 October presidential runoff election, arguing that any ballots cast through electronic ballot boxes of older model voting machines should be annulled, as the machines are impossible to audit, Folha de Sao Paulo reported on 23 November. After losing the 30 October presidential runoff election, Bolsonaro made a brief public statement on 1 November saying that he "always intended to operate within the electoral rules," suggesting he would respect electoral results showing that he lost the 30 October election without outright conceding. Why It Matters: The challenge to the official results will almost certainly galvanize Bolsonaro's supporters, many of whom believe the election was stolen, to resume highly disruptive strike activity including roadblocks and protests. Such demonstrations are highly likely to disrupt the country's agribusiness sector -- as soybean and wheat supply chains rely on highway access to ports -- and air travel, as protesters have previously targeted roads leading to airports causing flight delays. While the baseline level of demonstrations, roadblocks and strikes will be elevated through 2022, several incidents will serve as triggers including the Superior Electoral Court's refusal to review the petition and President-elect Luis Inacio Lula da Silva's inauguration on 1 January 2023. |
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