Decisive trial for the political future of former President Jair Bolsonaro

First modification: 06/22/2023 – 19:44

The former president of Brazil faces a trial for abuse of power and misinformation.

Six months after his departure from the Presidency, Jair Bolsonaro finds himself facing the institutions that he previously denigrated. This Thursday, June 22, he began his trial in the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in Brasilia, the highest instance of the electoral Justice in the country.

And it is that, during the months prior to the presidential elections of October 2022, Bolsonaro carried out constant attacks on the Brazilian justice system and questioned, without presenting evidence, the reliability of electronic voting.

In July of last year, before the astonished gaze of foreign ambassadors, the former head of state, who ruled the nation between 2019 and 2022, crossed the limits of his role as guarantor of the Constitution by insinuating that the electronic voting system would open the door electoral fraud in the upcoming presidential elections in October.

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It was specifically last July that the former president – who in his 2018 election never questioned the integrity of the system – assured that he had “time to solve the problem, with the participation of the Armed Forces.” Now, the accusations against him have led him to face Justice, putting his political future at stake.

In addition, the former president faces accusations of having used public funds to carry out this meeting, which seemed more like a campaign event than a diplomatic meeting.

Although this is not a criminal case that carries a possible prison sentence, Bolsonaro could face a penalty of up to eight years of ineligibility. This situation would represent a significant obstacle to his future political aspirations, since it would prevent him from competing in the 2026 presidential elections.

The seven magistrates who opened the session will cast their votes, one after the other, during a plenary meeting that began around 9:15 am local time. The decision of the Court will be known in the coming days.

Bolsonaro had already announced on Wednesday June 21 that he would not appear in court. The former president pointed out that he had to go to Porto Alegre, in the south of the country, for a series of political meetings.

Procedures before the Electoral Tribunal

During his campaign, Bolsonaro repeatedly raised the risk of voter fraud and did not fail to spark outrage from his most radical supporters.

However, the leader of the Brazilian extreme right claims to be innocent. “There was no criticism, no attack on the electoral system. I made an objective presentation on how the elections in Brazil work,” Bolsonaro told the media on Wednesday. In an interview with ” Brazil, he asked the judges to carry out a “fair trial”.

The former head of state would have the option of appealing to the Supreme Court, although his tense relations with that court do not give him much hope, especially since three of the eleven Supreme Court judges are also members of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

Bolsonaro faces several investigations against him

In addition, the right-wing leader faces five other investigations by the Supreme Court, which could lead to his imprisonment.

Since the end of March, after his return from the United States after his defeat in the elections, he has been questioned three times by the Police. These interrogations are related to a case of jewelry donated by Saudi Arabia, some of which is suspected to have been illegally introduced into Brazil, and also for alleged falsification of vaccination certificates against COVID-19.

But it is the case of the violence against the three powers in Brasilia -in January of this year- the one that received the most media coverage and shook public opinion the most. Last September, on the occasion of the 199th anniversary of the country’s independence, Jair Bolsonaro took advantage of the festivities to call on his followers to mount a show of force against the judiciary, even recommending that “everyone buy a weapon “.

This event would have been the prelude to the coup attempt on January 8. In 2022, A few weeks before the elections, the Supreme Court magistrates had ordered the arrest of several Bolsonaristas suspected of preparing sedition and violent actions.

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva remains out of the affairs of the far-right leader and has not made any recent statements in this regard.

Bolsonaro lost to Lula in the second round by a margin of only 1.8%. Right-wing and far-right parties are even stronger in Parliament than under it, posing a major challenge for the left-wing president, who is returning after two terms.

With AFP and Reuters