This Tuesday, June 27, the Superior Electoral Court will hold a new session in the case against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is being denounced for using his powers as Head of State to criticize the democratic system and launch accusations that could have conditioned the elections. of last October, in which he lost the re-election against the current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. If found guilty, Bolsonaro could lose his political rights for eight years.
First modification:
This Tuesday, June 27, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) will continue with the development of the trial that falls on former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is suspected of “abuse of power”, a reason for which his political rights could be taken away during eight years.
The judicial process will have the decision of the investigator of the case, Benedito Gonçalves, who anticipated that he will support the guilt of the former president. It is expected that the other six members of the TSE will later intervene.
The framework of the case points to the ultra-rightist using his powers as president to influence the last elections, in which his attempt to be re-elected was frustrated by the victory at the polls of the leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro summoned fifty foreign ambassadors and the media to his official residence on July 18, 2022. On that occasion, the political leader questioned the transparency of the electoral system and democracy.
The accusation, presented by the Democratic Labor Party, indicates that the then president incurred in “abuse of political power and prohibited conduct” to put together a campaign event broadcast on public television and for improperly using official property.
For Labor, the repeated statements of the then president against the electoral system promoted the criminal acts perpetrated on January 8, 2023, when hundreds of protesters stormed the headquarters of the three government powers, after the inauguration of Lula da Silva.
The reasons for the accusation were supported by the Public Ministry, which stressed that Bolsonaro’s attitude was an attempt at “manipulation that could corrode the electoral dispute” with “uncertain allegations” directed at Brazilian society and the international community.
It is an “ideological falsehood”: Bolsonaro defends himself against the accusations
Bolsonaro’s legal team maintains that the political leader did not incur any infraction, that the matter is loaded with “ideological falsehood” and that he only raised concerns about the electronic ballot boxes used in Brazil since 1996.
Last week, when the first hearing was held, the far-right’s lawyer, Tarcísio Vieira, described Bolsonaro’s meeting with foreign delegates as “Franciscan” and “institutional”, where he only gave “his opinions on the Brazilian electoral system.”
On the other hand, during an interview published this Tuesday in the newspaper ‘Folha de Sao Paulo’, Bolsonaro stressed that he is innocent and downplayed the possible loss of his political rights, stating that he is not going to “desperate” and that he could continue working in the United States.
These statements are contrary to those he expressed on his YouTube channel last Thursday, when he stated that he would like to continue in Brazilian political life.
“I would like to remain 100% active in politics and by taking away my political rights, which in my opinion is an affront, you lose a bit of that fuel,” said the politician who led the Latin American giant between January 1, 2019 and January 1. January 2023.
The political landscape of Brazil would be modified in the event that Bolsonaro is excluded from the stage, a decision that could be appealed in the Supreme Court, if deemed necessary.
Although he is not a leader who has the unwavering devotion of the country’s conservative electorate, he is still the most preponderant figure of the national right, experts point out. His absence would force a restructuring.
Given this possible scenario, more aspirants of that ideological current intend to gain ground on the country’s political scene. Among them are the governor of São Paulo, Tarcisio de Freitas, the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, and even the wife of the former president, Michelle Bolsonaro.
With EFE and AP
