With the election approaching, complaints against pre-candidates begin to appear – Politics

Less than six months before the first round of the 2024 municipal elections, on October 6, the number of complaints against pre-candidates for mayor and councilor in Mato Grosso do Sul is beginning to appear. Irregularities such as early campaigning and the use of public machinery are main targets of prosecution.

This is the case of the pre-candidate for mayor of Corumbá by the PP, the former Government Secretary of Mayor Marcelo Iunes (PP), Luiz Antônio da Silva, aka Pardal. This week, a complaint was filed with the State Public Prosecutor’s Office for “possible use of public machinery to canvass votes”.

According to the document, last Tuesday (23), a citizen published a video on his social networks acknowledging Pardal’s help in accessing public services in the municipality 444 kilometers from Campo Grande. The complaint also points to the Undersecretary of Health of Corumbá, Mariluce Leão, pre-candidate for councilor, as benefiting from the “thank you” publication.

In response to the complaint, the pre-candidate published a video on his social networks explaining the situation in front of the Public Ministry. “Luan made a video talking about me, thanking me, the way he spoke unfortunately was not what happened. He simply sent me a message saying what was happening, that his mother had glaucoma and what could be done, I simply told him to go to Casa Verde, to the regulatory center. Just that”, he reported.

The pre-candidate reported that he handed over a police report and a flash drive with a record of the conversation with the city resident. “Therefore, at no time did I use the public sector to benefit anyone,” he said.

But before the video ends, Pardal takes the opportunity to reinforce “his name”. “I would like to take this opportunity to say that I am increasingly a pre-candidate for mayor of Corumbá, with the full support of Senator Tereza Cristina”, he concluded.

The use of the term candidate before the conventions, when the names that will compete for places in the election are made official, is also seen as an irregularity.

This is the case of Bruno Ortiz who put himself forward as a candidate for councilor of Campo Grande for PL in a post on social media. “The people asked and we will have a candidate from the PEOPLE”, he posted. “I will go to the PL and place a people’s representative in Campo Grande! Now it’s on to the city council”, he added.

When contacted by the reporter, the pre-candidate said he would evaluate the situation. “I’ll look at the description. From what I read in the law, I cannot ask for a vote and I can put myself forward as a pre-candidate. I’m even going to call a lawyer to see if it’s correct. However, I see that there are already many who are even campaigning as ‘candidates’ for mayor”, Bruno emphasized.

The situation can be understood as early electoral propaganda. According to the Electoral Court, any electoral propaganda intended to obtain votes will be prohibited before July 5th. The ban aims to avoid imbalance and lack of equality in electoral campaigns.

The supervisor of the Voter Service Center at the Electoral Forum, Wilson Borba, provided guidance on the case. “The person cannot publicly present themselves as a candidate. They can even comment with friends, but not publicly. Using the public machine is also an electoral crime.”

Reports can be made by calling TRE-MS at (67) 2107-7000. The recommendation is to ask to speak to the judicial secretary to report the case. It is also possible to carry out the procedure via the Pardal app, free of charge.

The app is able to receive the following reports: vote buying; use of public machinery; electoral crimes; and irregular advertisements. The investigation of all complaints is the responsibility of the Public Electoral Ministry.

The report from the Campo Grande News requested the Public Ministry of Mato Grosso do Sul the number of electoral complaints registered in 2024 in the State, but the body informed that it does not have this survey. TRE-MS also does not have this updated survey.

Receive the main news from the State via WhatsApp. Click here to access the channel Campo Grande News and follow our social media.