Bolsonaro is being tried for electoral fraud
The news
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is scheduled to go on trial this month on charges that he abused his power as president to baseless attacks on Brazil’s electoral systems. If convicted, he will be ineligible to run for office for eight years.
A panel of seven judges in Brazil’s electoral tribunal will rule on the case, which will begin June 22. The court aims to make a decision this month, although the case could be postponed if a judge asks for more time.
A rival political party has accused Mr Bolsonaro of abusing the office of president when, less than three months before Brazil’s elections last year, he he summoned foreign diplomats for a meetingmade false claims about the country’s voting systems and broadcast the remarks on state television.
Brazil’s top electoral prosecutor recommended blocking Bolsonaro from running for office, saying his speech to diplomats was designed to undermine public confidence in Brazil’s election.
“Because the head of state expressed public criticism, this could only be taken as a warning to Brazilians and the world that the election results cannot be considered reliable and legitimate,” the prosecutor, Paulo Gonet Branco, said in a legal filing. sealed but was viewed by The New York Times.
Why it matters: A conviction could end Bolsonaro’s political career.
The process could turn Brazilian politics upside down by removing Mr Bolsonaro, the flag bearer of Brazil’s conservative movement, from contesting the next two presidential elections.
Bolsonaro, 68, remains a highly popular and influential figure among conservatives in Brazil and is seen as a likely challenger to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist, in 2026. Bolsonaro received 49.1 percent of the vote in the 2022 election, only 2.1 million votes behind Mr. Lula, in the country’s closest presidential game since Brazilian democracy was restored in 1985 after a military dictatorship.
A conviction would also be a clear and strong rejection of Mr Bolsonaro’s tactics to undermine the vote, and a warning to all political allies who might consider a similar strategy.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s rhetoric resembled that of former President Donald J. Trump, a political ally. But the results for the two men could be very different. Just six months after leaving office, Mr Bolsonaro faces charges that could end his political career. At the same time, as Trump faces investigations into his attempts to cast doubt on the 2020 US election, he remains the leading contender to become the Republican Party’s nominee in next year’s presidential election.
The background: Bolsonaro has long attacked Brazil’s elections.
Mr Bolsonaro has criticized Brazil’s voting systems for years, claiming they were vulnerable to fraud and that his rivals were determined to manipulate them, despite a lack of evidence. His commentary led millions of his followers to lose confidence in the electoral systems And believe Mr. Lula stole the 2022 election.
Despite Mr Bolsonaro’s claims, numerous assessments of the election results found no credible evidence of fraud.
A week later Mr. Lula was inaugurated in January many of Mr Bolsonaro’s followers invaded and looted the halls of power of Brazil in an attempt to get the military to take control of the government.
Nevertheless, Mr Bolsonaro authorized the transfer of power and during the first few months of Mr Lula’s presidency he faded into the background of Brazilian politics due to temporarily moving to Florida. Mr Bolsonaro is now back in Brazil and has made more public appearances.
His lawyers have argued that his speech to diplomats, which is central to this case, was an “act of government” designed to raise legitimate concerns about the security of the election. They have noted that the diplomats cannot vote and argued that the speech did not interfere with the election process.
Neither Mr Bolsonaro’s lawyer nor his spokesperson responded to requests for comment.
What’s Next: Bolsonaro faces a trial – and many other investigations
Having started on June 22, Mr Bolsonaro’s trial is likely to continue in other court hearings scheduled for June 27 and June 29. The seven judges of the electoral tribunal — made up of Supreme Court judges, federal judges and attorneys — can decide the case quickly, with a simple majority needed to convict. The electoral court will take a one-month break in July.
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, Mr Bolsonaro faces 15 other cases in the electoral court, including allegations that he improperly used public funds to influence the vote and that his campaign was a coordinated misinformation campaign against the Lord Lula led. A conviction could disqualify him from office for at least eight years.
So is Mr Bolsonaro subject of a federal criminal investigation in the invasion of Brazil’s government buildings on January 8. A top Brazilian prosecutor has accused him of encouraging the mafia. A conviction in the case could lead to imprisonment. As part of the case, Mr Bolsonaro testified before federal police in April.
Leticia Casado contributed reporting from Brasília.