09/22/2023 – 20:52
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) formed a majority this Friday, 22, to reject former president Jair Bolsonaro’s appeal against the judgment that left him ineligible for eight years.
So far, ministers Benedito Gonçalves (rapporteur), Alexandre de Moraes, Cármen Lúcia and André Ramos Tavares have voted to maintain the decision taken in June.
The trial is underway in the TSE’s virtual plenary. In this modality, ministers do not meet to debate the process. Votes are recorded on an online platform.
The former president’s lawyers alleged in the appeal that the TSE curtailed the right to defense and failed to analyze issues brought to court. Bolsonaro can still appeal to the Federal Supreme Court (STF), but the chances of victory are considered remote.
The former president was convicted of abuse of political power and misuse of the media in the meeting with foreign ambassadors, in July 2022, at Palácio do Alvorada, in which he attacked electronic voting machines. The ministers concluded that he used his position and public structure to campaign and encourage attacks on the electoral system.
Declared ineligible by the TSE, Bolsonaro is prevented from participating in the 2024, 2026 and 2028 elections, but he will still have a chance to participate in the 2030 election, according to electoral law experts interviewed by the Estadão. This is because the period of ineligibility tends to be counted from the last election held, that is, October 2, 2022. As the first round of the 2030 election is scheduled for October 6, Bolsonaro would have already served the punishment. An eventual registration of candidacy, however, depends on the approval of the Electoral Court.
#TSE #majority #reject #Bolsonaros #appeal #ineligibility