Brazilian President-elect Lula da Silva cries while speaking during a meeting with members of the government transition team in Brasilia, Brazil on November 10, 2022.
Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has demanded outgoing leader Jair Bolsonaro apologise to the army for involving them in the electoral process.
"I don't know if the president is ill but he has an obligation to come on television and apologise to Brazilian society and the Armed Forces, which is a serious institution," said Lula on Thursday, describing it as a guarantee for Brazilians because the report "says nothing."
Lula, who narrowly defeated Bolsonaro last month, said the pressure to issue a report has been "humiliating" and "deplorable" for the military, which is constitutionally barred from engaging in politics.
"The president of the Republic, who is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces had no right to involve the Armed Forces, to make a commission to investigate electronic ballot boxes, something that belongs to civil society, the political parties, and the National Congress. The result was humiliating," said Lula.
Lula likened the situation to late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein who was deposed amid allegations of chemical weapons and who he said "did not have the courage to say he didn't have the weapons."
Lula noted some Pro-Bolsonaro supporters are still demonstrating at military barracks because they "are not satisfied with the electoral result, because of all the complaints, fake news, lies told in the electoral process that electronic voting machines were not serious."
READ MORE: Brazil court asks military to share report on voting machines
Lula fez fala poderosa hoje em Brasília. Diz que Bolsonaro deveria pedir desculpas à sociedade brasileira e às Forças Armadas por ter colocado os militares em posição de vexame, após relatório das Forças comprovar que Bolsonaro mentiu sobre as urnas 🗳 pic.twitter.com/FTk1y0ey7D
— George Marques 🇧🇷 (@GeorgMarques) November 10, 2022
No evidence of fraud
Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who once served as an army captain, repeatedly claimed without evidence that the electronic voting system was vulnerable.
Prior to the presidential election late last month, Bolsonaro cast doubt about the country’s electronic voting system without providing evidence.
The Defense Ministry's report that was released late Wednesday found no electoral irregularities in a detailed document provided to electoral authorities.
The 63-page report found no specific problem but suggested there could be vulnerabilities in the code.
Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees Brazil's Superior Electoral Court said the report was in keeping with other agencies' observations that did not find "any fraud or inconsistency in electronic ballot boxes or in the 2022 electoral process."
De Moraes noted that authorities will look into the recommendations made.
READ MORE: Brazil's military finds no issues with election that Bolsonaro lost
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