Brasilia [Brazil]: Brazil’s highest electoral court has barred former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for political office till 2030. This comes after Bolsonaro was found guilty of abusing his power and misusing public media during last year’s election campaign, CNN reported.
The former president was found guilty by five out of seven judges, effectively ending any hope of a political comeback in the forthcoming 2026 election. Two of the judges voted against the decision, which prevents Bolsonaro from running for public office for eight years. As per CNN, the case stems from a meeting Bolsonaro held with foreign ambassadors in July 2022, in which he spread false information about Brazil’s electoral system and brought its credibility into question ahead of last year’s fractious election. The meeting was livestreamed by official television channels and on YouTube.
YouTube took down the live stream of the event for not complying with its fake news policy.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes who presided over the court, cast his vote last. “Let us reaffirm our faith in our democracy and the rule of law,” he said after voting in favour of the guilty verdict.
The judge added that with the vote, Brazilian authorities would show they do not tolerate “criminal extremism attacking the powers of the state, fake news, disinformation to try to deceive voters.”
Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing. Speaking to Brazilian radio station Itatiaia on Friday, Bolsonaro said he planned to appeal the court’s decision.
Bolsonaro lost the election by the narrowest margin in decades to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Riots on January 8 saw pro-Bolsonaro protesters breaking into government buildings in Brasilia, following weeks of demonstrations over the election results.
