Threatened with ineligibility, he could be barred from the next election in 2026: the long-awaited trial of the former far-right Brazilian head of state Jair Bolsonaro opened on Thursday, six months after his departure from the presidential palace.
The former head of state (2019-2022), who was absent and claims his innocence, is being prosecuted for attacking electoral justice and having criticized, without proof, the reliability of electronic voting, a few months before the elections won by his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
According to the indictment read at the opening of the session of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in Brasília by judge Benedito Goncalves, the former president is accused of having sought to “discredit before the international community the future outcome of the elections, at a time when the polls gave the advantage to an adversary”.
In a speech in July 2022 at the presidential residence of Alvorada, and broadcast on public television, Mr. Bolsonaro had declared before diplomats that he wanted to “correct flaws” in electronic voting with the “participation of the armed forces”, without provide any evidence for his allegations.
For these remarks, the 68-year-old ex-army captain could be declared “ineligible” for public office for eight years. He is being prosecuted for “abuse of political power and improper use of the means of communication”.
Throughout his campaign, he had waved the risk of fraud, stoking the anger of his most radical supporters who, on January 8, just days after Lula took office, attacked the seats of the executive, legislative and judiciary in Brasília.
Striking scenes that had recalled the assault led, two years earlier, by supporters of former US President Donald Trump on the Capitol in Washington.
“Civilization” and “barbarism”
While his political future was being played out in the solemn precincts of the TSE, Mr. Bolsonaro found himself in Porto Alegre. In this large southern city, several dozen supporters – some dressed in the green and yellow colors of the national flag, erected as a sign of rallying – cheered him on his arrival at the airport, noted Agence France-Presse. He then visited a fair dedicated to transport and logistics.
In his argument, the lawyer for the former president, Tarcisio Vieira, allowed himself a parallel with the Dreyfus affair, the resounding scandal of the end of the 19th century.e French century, calling for a similar “miscarriage of justice” to be avoided.
“This is not the trial of Bolsonarism. There is no need to arbitrate an imaginary bloody dispute between civilization and barbarism,” he said.
After only three hours of sitting, the trial was adjourned to Tuesday, June 27. The seven judges will then have to start voting one after the other. The deliberations could continue on the 29th, if necessary, or even beyond.
In the event of a conviction, the defense warned that it would “of course” file an appeal before the Supreme Court.
Very discreet since his return to Brazil at the end of March after a three-month stay in the United States, which began even before the investiture of his killer, Mr. Bolsonaro multiplied as the trial approached.
“There was no criticism or attack against the electoral system,” he argued Wednesday to the press. On CNN Brazil, he asked the judges to render a “fair judgment”.
“We are not going to panic over the outcome that will come. […]. We want to stay alive, making our contribution to the country,” he said on Sunday.
He had lost with only 1.8% difference in the second round against Lula. Right-wing and far-right parties are even stronger in parliament than they were under his tenure, posing a daunting challenge to the left-wing president, returning after two terms (2003-2010).
Jair Bolsonaro is not at the end of his legal torments. He faces about fifteen procedures before the electoral court.
He is also targeted by the Supreme Court in five cases, notably for the January 8 attacks, and faces prison sentences.
Since his return from the United States, he has been heard by the police on three occasions: for the violence in Brasília, for a case of jewelry offered by Saudi Arabia, some of which would have entered Brazil irregularly, and for tampering presumed anti-COVID vaccination certificates.
The government in place keeps a distance from the legal affairs of the former leader.
Far from Brazil, Lula participated Thursday in Paris in a summit intended to finance the climate transition and, near the Eiffel Tower, defended in a speech the cause of the Amazon during a concert for the planet.