Brazil's top electoral court on Friday barred far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office till 2030 for alleged abuse of power and casting unsubstantiated doubts on the electronic voting system of the country.
Out of a panel of seven judges, five of them found Bolsonaro guilty of promoting his electoral campaign by using government communication and misleading the public about the vote. Two judges voted against the decision, AP reported.
The latest development has effectively halted Bolsonaro's hopes of becoming the Brazilian President in the future. Carlos Melo, a political science professor, said, “This decision will end Bolsonaro’s chances of being president again, and he knows it."
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro called the trial unfair, politically motivated and an attack on Brazilian democracy, in an interaction with media. “We’re going to talk with the lawyers. Life goes on,” he said.
In a meeting on July 18 last year, Bolsonaro had allegedly told foreign ambassadors that Brazil's electoral system was rigged by using government staffers, state television and his presidential residence.
Bolsonaro has been removed from contesting the 2024 and 2028 municipal elections, as well as the 2026 general elections. Apart from this, the ex-President also faces criminal investigations that can extend his ban and lead to imprisonment.
This came after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as President in January 2023, assuming office for the third time after thwarting incumbent Bolsonaro's reelection bid by a narrow margin.
Supporters of Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital on January 8. Some of them called for a military intervention to either restore the far-right Bolsonaro to power, or oust Lula from the presidency.
The latest decision on Bolsonaro marks the first time a president was suspended for violating electoral norms rather than a criminal offense.
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