MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Electronic ballot box malfunction strikes Brazil's third-way party internal voting

The PSDB once ruled Brazil under FHC

Brazil's Social Democracy Party (PSDB) of former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC) has suspended “for technical reasons” over the weekend the selection process to appoint a candidate to run in the October 2022 presidential elections.

Citing “instability” in the electronic ballot boxes, Marcos Pestana, PSDB coordinator for the internal elections reported late Sunday that the problem was due either to “incompetence” of the company retained for the service “or a hacker attack.”

São Paulo State Governor Joao Doria; Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite; and former Manaus Mayor Arthur Virgilio were vying for a candidacy.

In the days leading up to the elections there were cross accusations of “fraud” and “manipulation” of rolls between Doria and Leite. Due to the flaws in the application, some 4,000 party members were able to vote out of a total of 44,000.

Doria and Virgilio agreed to propose that the vote be closed next Sunday after the technical issue has been solved. “It is necessary to finalize the voting process that began this Sunday, the application must offer the possibility that all registered voters can vote safely,” Doria said Monday morning. Various PSDB groups were to convene in Brasilia to define when the elections will resume.

The PSDB aims at becoming an alternative to incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and the former head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The PSDB ruled Brazil between 1995 and 2002 under Cardoso but is currently going through a crisis of its own as Doria clashes with the former presidential candidate, Aecio Neves, who is said to stand closer to Bolsonaro.

There were also heated arguments between Virgilio and Leite Sunday, it was reported. Virgilio also accused Leite of being a “spoiled” ally of Neves'.