Headline: Brazil’s Top Elections Court Bars Bolsonaro from Running for Office for Eight Years
Subheadline: Jair Bolsonaro convicted of abuse of power for making false claims about the integrity of Brazil’s voting systems
Date: [Date]
Byline: [Author Name]
BRASÍLIA — In a landmark ruling, Brazil’s top elections court voted on Friday to bar former president Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for a period of eight years. This prohibition covers the next presidential election and is a result of Bolsonaro’s repeated claims, without evidence, about the vulnerability of the country’s voting systems to fraud.
The Superior Electoral Court reached a majority decision to convict Bolsonaro of abuse of power for undermining faith in the country’s young democracy. The verdict, if upheld by a planned Supreme Court appeal, means that Bolsonaro, 68, will not be able to run for president until the 2030 election, when he will be 75. This is the first time in the court’s 90-year history that such a ban has been applied to a former president.
Throughout his presidency, Bolsonaro, also known as the “Trump of the Tropics,” repeatedly made baseless claims about the country’s voting systems. His comments created an environment in which thousands of his supporters stormed the Presidential Palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court on January 8, with hopes of overturning his election loss.
Bolsonaro, his aides, and allies had anticipated this ruling. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he expressed his disappointment, stating, “It’s unfair to me, for God’s sake. Show me something concrete that I did against democracy. I played within the bounds of the Constitution the whole time.”
During his four-year term, Bolsonaro faced widespread criticism for his handling of various issues, including the gutting of protections for the Amazon rainforest and its Indigenous inhabitants, stoking cultural divisions in Brazil, and presiding over one of the world’s deadliest coronavirus outbreaks. He left office in December after losing his bid for re-election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by the narrowest margin in the country’s history.
While Bolsonaro did not concede the race, he fled to Florida before his term ended, skipping Lula’s inauguration and the ceremonial passing of the presidential sash, which is a key affirmation of the country’s democracy.
This verdict is only the beginning of Bolsonaro’s legal troubles, as he remains accused in multiple criminal and electoral cases. His attorney has already stated that an appeal will be made to the Supreme Court.
The conviction is based on Bolsonaro’s comments at a meeting with foreign diplomats last summer in the Presidential Palace. He made false claims about the voting system’s vulnerability to fraud during the 45-minute address, which was broadcast on national television. The panel concluded that these comments were part of a script that led to the January 8 insurrection.
In a 382-page opinion, presiding Judge Benedito Gonçalves wrote that Bolsonaro “violated his duties as a president” and was “fully, personally responsible” for attacking the electoral system. The judge emphasized the anti-democratic effects of Bolsonaro’s speeches and lies that undermined the credibility of the electoral system.
Supreme Court justices also expressed their agreement with the ruling. Justice Gilmar Mendes, a two-time president of the electoral court, stated, “We have never had a president who has so unequivocally attacked the institutions like Bolsonaro did. When he meets with ambassadors and diplomats and announces defects in the electronic ballots that he knew did not exist, he is seriously abusing his power as president.”
The court’s decision comes after judicial authorities had warned Bolsonaro multiple times between July 2021 and August 2022 about the potential consequences of attacking the electoral system. Brazil’s top prosecutor for electoral cases, Paulo Gustavo Gonet Branco, stated that Bolsonaro’s rhetoric “went far beyond freedom of expression” and that his unfounded allegations were known to be false.
In response to the verdict, Bolsonaro’s allies are already seeking his replacement and hope to present him as a victim of a corrupt system. Supporters suggest that Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, could be a potential candidate to succeed him.
As Brazil prepares for the next presidential election, the ruling against Bolsonaro marks a significant moment in the country’s political landscape. It serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding democratic principles and the consequences individuals face for undermining the integrity of the electoral process.