Brazil’s electoral court is on the cusp of ruling Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to seek political office for eight years in a trial over the former right-wing president’s false claims about last year’s election.
(Bloomberg) — Brazil’s electoral court is on the cusp of ruling Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to seek political office for eight years in a trial over the former right-wing president’s false claims about last year’s election.
Three members of the seven-judge panel have so far voted to convict Bolsonaro of abusing the powers of the presidency when he called foreign ambassadors for a meeting to raise doubts about the security of Brazil’s electronic voting machines in July 2022. One judge voted against Bolsonaro’s conviction during the third session of the trial on Thursday.
A fourth vote to convict would result in Bolsonaro’s ban from office until 2030, quashing his hopes of a quick political comeback and potentially ruling him out of the next two presidential elections. The court’s chief justice temporarily paused the trial Thursday afternoon. It is scheduled to resume Friday at 12 p.m. in Brasilia.
Read more: Bolsonaro Election Trial Puts His Political Future at Risk
A guilty verdict would amount to a major rebuke for Bolsonaro, 68, and his brash style of politics. The right-wing leader spent much of his career spreading conspiracies about voter fraud. And while he denies any wrongdoing, such efforts fanned the rage of supporters who stormed the capital on Jan. 8 in protest of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory and what they claimed was a stolen vote.
“It’s an injustice for me, my God in heaven,” Bolsonaro, who could appeal the ruling to Brazil’s Supreme Court, told reporters in Brasilia before Thursday’s session began. “They’re looking for a needle in a haystack. Where did I go wrong with a meeting with ambassadors?”
–With assistance from Guilherme Bento.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.