Bolsonaro’s Political Future Hangs in the Balance as Judges Consider Banning Public Office

A panel of seven judges is debating whether to ban former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro from holding public office for several years because of his relentless attacks on Brazil’s electoral system.

The trial in the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) revolves around allegations that Bolsonaro abused his position and used state media to spread baseless allegations of security flaws within the country’s electronic voting system.

After three judges ruled against Bolsonaro and one in favor, the proceedings were adjourned until Friday morning, leaving the outcome uncertain.

Prosecutors linked Bolsonaro’s inflammatory remarks to the actions of his supporters who stormed the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court on January 8, just a week after the inauguration of leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula had defeated Bolsonaro in the previous year’s elections.

After the evidence was presented, the justices began issuing their rulings on Tuesday, with the majority required for conviction.

If convicted, Bolsonaro could face a ban from public office for up to eight years, which would make him ineligible to participate in the 2026 election.

Notably absent from the field in Brasilia, Bolsonaro made his way to Rio de Janeiro, where he vented his frustration to reporters, saying, “Unfortunately, discussing vaccines, voting and ballot boxes has become a crime.”

The charges against Bolsonaro stem from a televised meeting he held with foreign diplomats at the presidential residence in July 2022, three months before Lula’s election defeat.

Armed with a PowerPoint presentation but lacking solid evidence, Bolsonaro spent nearly an hour presenting his argument, arguing that electronic voting machines in use since 1996 have impaired the transparency of the electoral process.

Chief Justice Benedetto Goncalves, who oversaw the case, ruled in favor of convicting Bolsonaro on Tuesday, citing his “violent rhetoric and lies” that had endangered the credibility of Brazil’s electoral system.

Goncalves emphasized that the briefing served to fuel the collective sense of paranoia surrounding the election during a highly polarized period in Brazilian history.

He asserted that Bolsonaro incited the belief that the results of the 2022 elections could be manipulated, causing great harm to the democratic environment.

On Thursday, Judge Floriano Marquez also voted in favor of conviction, asking: “What could be more serious than a head of state, motivated by electoral goals, who mobilizes the resources of the Republic to spread the idea that Brazilian elections lack integrity on purpose?”

In contrast, colleague Raúl Araujo voted in favor of acquittal, holding that the severity of the conduct did not justify the severe measure of electoral disqualification.

While Bolsonaro declared in Rio that he is “no ordinary ex-president” and that people are already nostalgic for his presidency, insiders suggest the court will likely convict him.

Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Tarcisio Vieira, confirmed their intention to appeal any conviction to the Supreme Court.

Dubbed “tropical Trump,” Bolsonaro’s tenure has been marked by controversy. Amid the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 700,000 people in Brazil, he disparaged face masks, social distancing and vaccines, even suggesting the vaccine could turn people into crocodiles.

In addition, his administration has faced international criticism for escalating the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

Since leaving office, Bolsonaro has spent three months in the United States and has kept a relatively low profile since returning to Brazil in March, where he took up the position of Honorary President of his Liberal Party.

However, he faces a host of legal troubles, with five investigations pending in the Supreme Court that could lead to his imprisonment, including the investigation into the January 8 attacks.

Moreover, he is currently being investigated by the police over allegations of possession of a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate and smuggling diamond jewelry into the country from Saudi Arabia.