Brazilian court bans Bolsonaro from political post

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Brazil’s top electoral court on Friday banned former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for political office until 2030, dashing hopes of a quick political return for the right-wing populist.

Following a majority vote of its seven judges, the Superior Electoral Court convicted the 68-year-old former army captain of abuse of political power and abuse of the media ahead of last year’s presidential election, in which he lost to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva .

The conviction of Bolsonaro, who served a tumultuous term between 2019 and last year, paves the way for the emergence of new leaders on Brazil’s right wing, which – despite success in last year’s congressional elections – has languished in opposition .

The trial in the electoral court centered on whether Bolsonaro had abused political power and abused the media when he hosted foreign ambassadors last July to express doubts about the reliability of the country’s electronic voting machines .

Opponents said the meeting was a ploy to fuel disbelief in the integrity of the elections in which Bolsonaro lost. It was broadcast on live TV as well as on the social networks YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Judge Benedito Goncalves, who coordinated the case, said Bolsonaro had made “a fraudulent speech about electronic voting and the electoral justice system.” , , It’s natural to use scraps of false information already in his rhetoric.

The court also admitted into evidence a draft document found in January from the home of Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister Anderson Torres, outlining steps to overturn the election result. The court said the document shows a widespread strategy to cast doubt on the electoral system.

Bolsonaro had denied any wrongdoing and claimed the meeting with the ambassadors was for official purposes, not electioneering.

“I did not attack the voting system. I just showed its possible flaws,” said Bolsonaro, who plans to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court.

The eight-year ban, which runs retroactively from the first round of elections in October last year, means Bolsonaro will be barred from contesting any elections – local, state or federal – until 2030. However, he is allowed to remain politically active and the former president said he wants to remain engaged “100 percent”.

A conservative nationalist, Bolsonaro still enjoys broad popular support, especially in Brazil’s rural interior states and among agricultural and Christian communities, who appreciate his message of “God, family and country”.

His Liberal Party has set a target of winning more than 1,000 of a possible 5,000 mayoral races in next year’s local elections.

“Bolsonaro achieved something amazing – he created a movement. As a politician he disappointed the political class, but they know he can still excite supporters, make speeches, set the base on fire,” said Mario Marconini, managing director of Teneo in Brazil .

In the next presidential cycle, many expect Bolsonaro’s position to be given to either Tarcisio de Freitas, governor of São Paulo state, or Romeu Zema, governor of the large southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

De Freitas, Bolsonaro’s former infrastructure minister, is seen as a technocrat but lacks the common touch. Zema, a formerly successful businessman, is considered a shrewd political operative, but has yet to gain widespread national recognition.

Bolsonaro’s wife Michelle has also been suggested as a possible contender, although the former president has highlighted her lack of political experience.

Despite his political prowess, Bolsonaro has been marginalized from the mainstream since his electoral defeat in October and the subsequent sabotage of the country’s political institutions by his supporters in January. He is facing a criminal probe into whether he incited the rioters.

He is also investigated by police for alleged falsification of COVID-19 vaccine records and possible corruption after he received two sets of jewelery allegedly presented as gifts from the Saudi government when he was president Is going