WEB DESK
Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets amid concern President Jair Bolsonaro will try to stay in power even if he loses October’s election. Protesters marched in several cities on Thursday in defence of democracy over fears the far-right leader would not respect the outcome of the vote. Mr Bolsonaro has repeatedly sought to discredit Brazil’s voting system. He has claimed that electronic voting machines enable cheating, because of the absence of a paper trail.
A year ago, Mr Bolsonaro tried to change the system to introduce printed ballot papers, but the proposal was defeated in Congress. Critics of the president have voiced fears that he is preparing to follow the example of former US President Donald Trump and allege widespread fraud if he loses the election. The demonstrations came on the same day that a citizens’ manifesto was read out and signed by a million Brazilians. Crowds protested in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Recife, while thousands gathered outside the University of São Paulo, where a petition “in defence of the democratic state of law” was read out.