Selloff or Market Correction? Either Way, Here's What to Do NextSee Overvalued Stocks

Bolsonaro's political hopes wither as key judge votes to bar him from office

Published 06/27/2023, 01:11 PM
Updated 06/27/2023, 09:46 PM
© Reuters. Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he greets supporters at Salgado Filho International Airport, on the day the Electoral Justice begins the trial to determine his political rights, as he arrives in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

By Ricardo Brito

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was staring into the political abyss on Tuesday when a federal electoral court (TSE) justice voted to bar him from office until 2030 for anti-democratic abuse of power during last year's fraught election.

The vote by Benedito Goncalves, the lead justice in the case against Bolsonaro, does not amount to a full conviction, but may set the tone for subsequent judge's votes.

The outlook appears increasingly bleak for Bolsonaro, a career politician who was until recently Brazil's most powerful man. The far-right nationalist narrowly lost Brazil's most troubled election in a generation to his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and now faces an institutional reckoning for having forged a nationwide election denial movement.

Bolsonaro stands accused of abusing his power when he summoned ambassadors last year and vented unfounded claims about the security of Brazil's electronic voting system, one of a series of attacks that critics say were aimed at diminishing voters' faith in the vote.

Goncalves said Bolsonaro was guilty of abuse of power and improper use of the media. "Bolsonaro used the meeting with ambassadors to spread doubts, incite conspiracy theories," Goncalves said during his vote.

After his vote, the session was adjourned until Thursday.

Bolsonaro had appeared increasingly sanguine about his hopes of political survival in the lead-up to the vote.

"Everyone seems to say that it's likely I'm going to be barred from office," Bolsonaro told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper in an interview published this week. "I won't despair. What can I do?"

Yet political ineligibility may not be the end of Bolsonaro's problems. The 68-year-old also faces multiple criminal investigations that could still put him behind bars.

© Reuters. Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro gestures as he greets supporters at Salgado Filho International Airport, on the day the Electoral Justice begins the trial to determine his political rights, as he arrives in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Diego Vara/File photo

Many of his former allies have turned their backs on him, pinning their hopes on new right-wingers like Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio Freitas and Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema.

Bolsonaro's best hope at relevance may lie with his family, including his wife and lawmaker sons, who could also harbor their own presidential ambitions. He told the Folha de S. Paulo that his wife Michelle could well be a presidential candidate in 2026, but noted she lacked political experience.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.