BBrazil’s Supreme Electoral Court has found ex-President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of abuse of power. This means that the right-wing politician will be deprived of his political rights for a period of eight years, according to the majority of judges on Friday (local time). Bolsonaro is therefore not allowed to run in the presidential elections in 2026 and 2030.
The Supreme Electoral Court accuses Bolsonaro of fueling rumors of voter fraud and questioning the Brazilian electoral system. As president, he had portrayed the electronic ballot box as unreliable and the chief justices of the electoral tribunal as biased. Numerous TV recordings and public appearances served as examples for the judges. To date, Bolsonaro has not recognized the election results of October last year. He was defeated by left-wing politician Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Electronic voting since 1996
According to the daily Folha de São Paulo, Bolsonaro’s defense rejected the allegations. Bolsonaro has done nothing more than express his opinion on Brazil’s electoral system, his lawyer Tarcisio Vieiro said. All statements are covered by the right to freedom of expression.
During the election campaign, Bolsonaro repeatedly called for ballot papers to be introduced because, in his opinion, electronic ballot boxes could be manipulated. Brazil has been voting electronically since 1996 without incident. At the same time, Bolsonaro demanded a parallel count of the election results by the military.
Several investigations are underway against the 68-year-old Bolsonaro. Among other things, he is accused of inciting his supporters during the storming of the congress and the riots in the government district of Brasilia on January 8th. According to investigations by the federal police, he is also said to have falsified his corona vaccination status in order to be able to enter the USA. He has already been fined for insulting journalists.
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