Will Jair Bolsonaro be able to continue to do politics directly? Six months after his departure from power, the former president of Brazil is on trial from this Thursday in a trial which could earn him ineligibility and deprive him of the 2026 ballot.
The former head of state (2019-2022), who claims to be innocent, will be absent from court because he will travel to Porto Alegre for political meetings, his defense said. He is being sued by the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) for attacking electoral justice and criticizing, without proof, the reliability of electronic voting, a few months before the elections won by his left-wing rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. . The seven magistrates will return, one after the other, their vote during a plenary session which must open at 09 am in Brasilia.
A lawsuit for “abuse of political power”
In a speech in July 2022 at the presidential residence of Alvorada, and broadcast on public television, he declared before diplomats that he wanted to “correct flaws” in the electronic voting system with the “participation of the armed forces”, without provide any evidence for his allegations. For these remarks, the 68-year-old ex-army captain could be declared “ineligible” for public office for eight years. The prosecution is prosecuting him for “abuse of political power and improper use of the means of communication”.
Throughout his campaign, he had waved the risk of fraud, stoking the anger of his most radical supporters who, on January 8, just days after Lula took office, attacked the seats of the executive, legislative and judiciary in Brasilia. Striking scenes that had recalled the assault led, two years earlier, by supporters of former US President Donald Trump on the Capitol in Washington.
Deliberations continued on June 27 and 29
“There was no criticism or attack on the electoral system. I made a sober presentation on how elections work in Brazil, “said Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday to the press. On CNN Brazil, he therefore asked the judges to render a “fair judgment”. If the court does not render its decision by Thursday, as seems likely, the deliberations can continue on June 27 and 29. Even beyond.
On Wednesday, Jair Bolsonaro also said he “did not know” whether he would again be a candidate for public office, noting that for that he would have to “keep” his political rights. The ex-leader is not at the end of his legal torments. He is indeed facing about fifteen procedures before the electoral tribunal. He is also targeted by the Supreme Court in five cases, notably for the January 8 attacks, and faces prison sentences.