Bolsonaro is accused of abuse of power and spreading false information about Brazil’s electoral system before last year’s presidential elections.
Although this is not a criminal case, the judges presiding over the case have the power to prevent Bolsonaro from running for any public office for eight years.
Bolsonaro has not commented on whether he plans to run for the presidency in the 2026 elections. The far-right politician, who is the honorary president of the Liberal Party, has only stated that he will use his “experience to help his party’s campaign in next year’s midterm elections.”
The allegations before the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) revolve around a speech made by Bolsonaro while he was still president in 2022.
On July 18, 2022, he invited foreign diplomats to his residence in the capital, Brasília, where he falsely claimed that the electronic voting machines used in Brazil were prone to hacking and open to large-scale fraud.
Prosecutors say the speech violated electoral law, but Bolsonaro claims he “simply explained how elections work in Brazil” and did not criticize or attack the electoral system.
The tight election between current president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro was won in the second round by Lula by an extremely narrow margin.
Bolsonaro has never publicly acknowledged his defeat and left Brazil for Florida two days before Lula was inaugurated as president.
His supporters, who refused to accept the election results, stormed the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace, and the building housing the Supreme Federal Court on January 8.
Police arrested 1,500 of the protesters, but not before parts of the buildings were looted. An investigation is underway to determine whether Bolsonaro incited the protesters.
However, the seven judges presiding over the trial at the TSE have been urged only to decide whether the former president abused his power to try to influence voters by criticizing the Brazilian electoral system.
Bolsonaro did not attend the start of the trial.
A simple majority is needed to reach a decision.
The former president’s lawyer has already stated that his client intends to appeal if the decision goes against him.
Source: BBC