2023-06-25 05:01:00
From Rio de Janeiro
Last Thursday, the unbalanced far-right Jair Bolsonaro (photo) faced the first of 16 complaints filed against him both in the Supreme Federal Court, the highest instance of Justice in Brazil, and in the Superior Electoral Court.
And it was precisely in the Electoral, where the prosecution asked to suspend his right to run in dispute of votes for eight years.
A second session of the trial will take place on Tuesday the 27th. If there is a need for a third, it must take place on Thursday the 29th.
The same Bolsonaro who admitted, a few days ago, that he could be sentenced, now changed his tune. He says that it would be unfair and illegal, and that he intends to run for any position, even councilor in next year’s municipal elections.
The case refers to the meeting that Bolsonaro promoted in July of last year at the Presidential Palace with ambassadors to denounce, without any proof, the Brazilian electoral system implemented in 1996 without even indications of fraud ever having emerged.
The complaint, supported by the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office, mentions the use of a public building, as well as public means of communication, to carry out an electoral campaign without having been registered as a candidate, which is required by law. In addition, the use of public buildings for electoral purposes is prohibited by law.
Of the seven members of the Superior Electoral Tribunal, one was appointed by the far-right. There is another who is an ally of Bolsonaro. It is assumed that the other five will vote to convict him.
There is strong pressure from the followers of the former president so that one of the two, or even both, ask for time to examine the complaint. With that they could delay their votes for sixty days.
Politics by other means
The next two complaints, which must be judged before November, involve Bolsonaro and his three sons who work in politics: Senator Flavio, National Deputy Eduardo and Rio de Janeiro councilor Carlos, as well as several allies.
Will that spell the end of the ultra-right? In electoral terms, yes, until 2030. But in political terms, no.
The extreme right that for ten years left the closet and reached its peak with the election of Jair Bolsonaro will have him as its leader, and he will be an efficient vote-getter both in the municipal elections next year and in the majority elections in 2026.
At the same time, the less radical right is already looking for a successor that is not so extreme. For now, the most mentioned name is that of Tarcisio de Freitas, governor of São Paulo, the richest state in the country.
In addition to losing the right to present himself as a candidate for whatever, Jair Bolsonaro runs another, worse forceful danger: the complaints filed can land him in jail.
At the moment, what is circulating in Brasilia is that such a measure should not be adopted so soon, so as not to strengthen the air of victim with which the ultra-rightist will present himself.
But there is convergence on one point: sooner or later, Bolsonaro will hardly escape going to jail. And his children must follow the same course.
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