Political fate of Brazil former President Bolsonaro in hands of electoral court vote

Brazil’s federal electoral court (TSE) on Thursday began a third day of hearings in a case against former president Jair Bolsonaro that could see him barred from political office for nearly a decade.

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Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist, may be ruled politically ineligible until 2030 if a majority of the Brasilia court’s seven judges find he abused his power when, before the 2022 vote, he summoned ambassadors to vent unfounded claims about Brazil’s voting system.

The ex-army captain narrowly lost to leftist rival Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva in the presidential election last October.

Justice Raul Araujo on Thursday voted not to convict Bolsonaro. On Tuesday, Benedito Goncalves, the lead justice in the case, had voted to convict him for abuse of political power and misuse of the media.

Bolsonaro stands accused of having created a nationwide movement to overturn the election result that culminated in the January 8 invasion of government buildings in Brasilia by thousands of his supporters. He denies any wrongdoing.

Many in Brazil, including Bolsonaro, believe he is likely to be barred from office – a stunning turnaround for a figure who was until recently Brazil’s most powerful man.

“Everyone seems to say that it’s likely I’m going to be barred from office,” he told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper in an interview. “I won’t despair. What can I do?”

Bolsonaro, who was not in court and flew to Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, does not risk jail in the TSE case. Nonetheless, the 68-year-old still faces multiple criminal investigations that could still put him behind bars.

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