Brazil Election: Jair Bolsonaro to Announce Former Defense Minister as Running Mate

Brazil election is looming closer, with President Jair Bolsonaro announcing on Sunday that he intends to name former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto as his running mate.

Reuters reported that Bolsonaro described Netto in an interview broadcast on YouTube that the former defense minister is someone he admires a lot and will help Brazil in the coming years if they get re-elected.

Netto is a retired army general who served as Bolsonaro's chief of staff from February 2020 to March 2021. He then took office as defense minister and left earlier this year.

Bolsonaro has also hinted at congresswoman Tereza Cristina Dias as a potential running mate. Dias is a former agriculture minister.

The Brazilian president described Dias as an "excellent name." However, he noted that there was room for "only one" vice-presidential candidate on his ticket.

Brazil Election

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula, has a wide lead over Bolsonaro ahead of the election in Brazil in October.

DW reported that the Datafolha opinion survey placed leftist Lula at 47% support while Bolsonaro was standing at 28%. Meanwhile, center-left candidate Ciro Gomes received eight percent support.

Bolsonaro has earlier downplayed surveys showing him behind his leftist opponent, while Lula lauded the poll, saying that Brazilians want to "get rid" of the current government.

Meanwhile, Brazil's top courts are stepping up meetings with military commanders to ease tensions and reaffirm trust in the democratic process, according to another Reuters report.

Military leaders have repeatedly said Brazil's armed forces will respect any result of the election. However, military officials have also made headlines by echoing Bolsonaro's comments about possible weakness in Brazil's voting system.

Sources said that Supreme Court Chief Justice Luiz Fux is planning to meet with military brass to ease voter concerns and show wide institutional support for the election in Brazil.

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro 'Using' The Military

Jair Bolsonaro has also sought to clarify that the military answers to him, as reported by The New York Times report. Bolsonaro said recently that election officials invited "the armed forces to participate in the electoral process."

Almir Garnier Santos, the commander of the Brazilian Navy, told reporters that he supported Bolsonaro's view regarding the possible weakness of the electoral process. Santos said that the president is his boss and commander.

Some military leaders, many right-wing voters, and the current president claim that the election is open to fraud.

Meanwhile, politicians, judges, foreign diplomats, and journalists were issuing warnings that Bolsonaro is setting the stage for an attempted coup.

Edson Fachin, a Supreme Court judge and Brazil's top election official, earlier said in an interview that allegations of an unsafe election were unfounded and dangerous.

Fachin said these claims are "artificially created by those who want to destroy the Brazilian democracy." He added that what is at stake in Brazil is not just an electronic voting machine but maintaining democracy.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Brazil's Lula launching presidential bid to unseat Bolsonaro - from Al Jazeera English