The seven judges of the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil will begin judging Jair Bolsonaro this Thursday. The former president runs the risk of being disqualified from any public function for a period of eight years, that is, in the next two presidential elections.
Although investigated for 16 alleged electoral crimes, this specific action will assess whether a meeting with ambassadors promoted by Bolsonaro in July 2022 with the aim of attacking, without evidence, the electronic voting system used in Brazil constitutes “abuse of political power” and ” improper use of the media”, as can be read in the complaint sent to the court by the PDT, the party of the then candidate Ciro Gomes.
Bolsonaro, still president at that time, used the Palacio de la Alvorada, the official residence of the Presidency of the Republic, public money and state television to “spread falsehoods and distortions and unduly influence the electorate,” according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Most analysts believe that Bolsonaro will be sentenced, it remains to be seen if by seven votes to zero, six votes to one or by a more balanced result. Even Bolsonaro, his most loyal supporters and the leadership of his party, the PL, show signs of conformity.
In addition to using the probable defeat to build the discourse of the “politically persecuted” around Bolsonaro in the near future, they are already preparing a successor on the right and the extreme right for the 2026 presidential elections.
There is a lot of talk about the governors of São Paulo, Tarcisio Freitas, and of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, but there is the possibility of keeping the nickname of “Bolsonaro” alive through Michelle, the former first lady who already holds the presidency of the PL Women.
Source: TSF
