The World Briefly

July 03, 2023

Not Leaving Soon

Brazil

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Brazil’s electoral court barred former conservative President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030, a ruling that could further increase political tensions in the Latin American nation, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The court found Bolsonaro guilty of abuse of power over his attempts to undermine confidence in the country’s voting system.

The case centered on a meeting last year the conservative leader held with around 40 foreign diplomats before the country’s general election. During the meeting, Bolsonaro reiterated his claims that Brazil’s electoral system was vulnerable to tampering by online hackers.

Judges said that the claims were part of Bolsonaro’s campaign to cast doubt on the vote, as well as influence Brazilians and foreigners alike that the election against him was rigged.

Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing, previously saying he was trying to encourage debate about Brazil’s electronic voting system. He accused the court of political bias and called the trial a “stab in the back.”

He plans to appeal the ruling within the electoral court itself and then at Brazil’s Supreme Court – a move that political and legal analysts believe is unlikely to be successful.

Bolsonaro’s allies in congress also denounced the ruling and are working on a bill that would grant him amnesty from any political ban.

Meanwhile, the populist leader is facing a separate criminal probe by Brazil’s Supreme Court over his involvement in the riots that saw his supporters storming the country’s main governmental institutions earlier this year.

On Jan. 8, Bolsonaro supporters raided Brasilia’s Praça dos Três Poderes – or the Three Powers Plaza – which houses the Presidential Palace, Brazil’s Congress, and the Supreme Court.

The storming came a few months after Bolsonaro lost the October presidential run-off to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a vote that many of the conservative leader’s supporters said was fraudulent.

While the verdict will prevent the former army captain from running for office at any level of government for nearly a decade, political analysts noted it won’t end Bolsonaro’s political career.

They suggested that it could strengthen his appeal as a political outsider and solidify support among his conservative base.

This story originally appeared in the July 03, 2023 newsletter, Western Outpost in the East.