Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Barred from Running for Public Office for Eight Years

On Tuesday, a federal judge voted to bar former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 68, from running for any public office for eight years in a case that could see him removed from politics until at least 2030, after Judge Benedito Gonçalves found him guilty of malpractice, as well as using public media.

The Supreme Electoral Court, or TSE for short, is judging the far-right Bolsonaro, and his proof is a televised meeting that took place in the presence of 40 foreign ambassadors on July 18 last year, that is, 3 months before his election was defeated by whoever won them , left Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. At the meeting, he spoke for more than an hour, during which, without any evidence, he claimed that the country had flaws in the security system, as well as the electronic voting system in it, also claiming that the electronic voting system used by Brazil since 1996 violated transparency elections.

As for the prosecutor’s office, they said that his televised meeting violated the electoral law, since the expenses for its organization came from public funds, and it took place in the official presidential residence, in addition to being broadcast live on public television in Al- Arabia.net concluded that in the midst of the campaign From what I’ve read about his trial in the local media, the other six judges in the trial will follow Judge Gonçalves and vote like him on Thursday.

Bolsonaro’s Response and the Appeals Process

However, Bolsonaro stated in an interview with the popular newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo that “everyone says that I will be disqualified. But I will not give up hope and will continue to do my part,” while his lawyer, Tarcisio Vieira, told reporters on Tuesday that his client “respectfully awaits the decision.” Given that the evidence is “fragile for a sentence of this magnitude,” he promised that Bolsonaro would appeal the upcoming decision to the Supreme Court.

For Bolsonaro to be declared “disqualified”, he must be found guilty by at least four judges. But if any of the seven judges request a review of the case, the others must return their files to reopen the trial within 30 days, with an extension of another 30 days from the date of the meeting at which the request for review was filed, noting that with the closure of the superior ships in July each general period will be increased to 90 days.